Editing Dorset (section)

==Politics==

===Local government===
{{See also|List of electoral wards in Dorset}}
[[Local government in England|Local government]] in Dorset consists of two unitary authorities (UA): [[Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council|Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council]], which governs the major conurbation comprising the three towns; and [[Dorset Council (UK)|Dorset Council]] which serves the more rural remainder of the county.<ref name=LGR-1>{{cite web |year=2018 |url=https://futuredorset.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Local-Govt-Review-210X210-Brochure-24pp-Brochure-Web.pdf |title=Local Government Review |work=Future Dorset |author=Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP |publisher=Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government |access-date=7 April 2019 |archive-date=7 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407073524/https://futuredorset.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Local-Govt-Review-210X210-Brochure-24pp-Brochure-Web.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> For the BCP council, voters choose 76 councillors from 33 wards, with ten wards returning three candidates apiece and 23 wards, two.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Reviews/South%20West/Dorset/Bournemouth%2C%20Christchurch%20and%20Poole/Final%20Recs/BCP%20Report%20Web.pdf |title=New Electoral Arrangements for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councils - Final Recommendations |date=October 2018 |publisher=The Local Government Boundary Commission for England |access-date=9 April 2019 |archive-date=30 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430151218/http://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Reviews/South%20West/Dorset/Bournemouth%2C%20Christchurch%20and%20Poole/Final%20Recs/BCP%20Report%20Web.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Dorset elects 82 councillors representing six three-councillor wards, 18 two-councillor wards and 28 single-councillor wards - 52 wards in total.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lgbce.org.uk/media/ward-boundaries-finalised-for-new-dorset-council |title=Ward boundaries finalised for new Dorset Council |date=23 October 2018 |publisher=The Local Government Boundary Commission for England |access-date=9 April 2019 |archive-date=7 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407233942/http://www.lgbce.org.uk/media/ward-boundaries-finalised-for-new-dorset-council |url-status=live}}</ref> In both authorities, elections for the entire council occur every four years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/792138/Election_Timetable_in_England_2019.pdf |title=Election Timetable in England |publisher=UK Government |access-date=1 June 2019 |archive-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427004344/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/792138/Election_Timetable_in_England_2019.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

The two authorities came into existence on 1 April 2019, when [[Bournemouth Borough Council|Bournemouth]] and [[Poole Borough Council|Poole]] merged with Christchurch, one of six second-tier [[Non-metropolitan district|districts]] previously governed by [[Dorset County Council]], leaving the other five districts - [[Weymouth and Portland]], [[West Dorset]], [[North Dorset]], [[Purbeck District|Purbeck]] and [[East Dorset]] - to form a second UA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://futuredorset.co.uk/ |title=24th May 2018: Council Leaders welcome "historic day" as Parliamentary process concludes |website=Futuredorset.co.uk |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-date=31 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180531065217/https://futuredorset.co.uk/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Dorset County Council was first formed in 1888 by [[Local Government Act 1888|an act of government]] to govern the newly created [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Dorset which had been based largely on the historic county borders. Dorset became a two-tier non-metropolitan county after a [[Local Government Act 1972|reorganisation of local government in 1974]] and its border was extended eastwards to incorporate the former Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch.{{refn|Alterations to Dorset's boundary prior to 1974 have been comparatively minor. In 1844 [[Stockland, Devon|Stockland]] was transferred to Devon in exchange for [[Thorncombe]] and [[Holwell, Dorset|Holwell]] was gained from Somerset. In 1896 the Somerset villages of [[Adber]], [[Goathill]], [[Poyntington]], [[Sandford Orcas]], [[Seaborough]] and [[Trent, Dorset|Trent]] were added in exchange for [[Wambrook]] while [[Chardstock]], [[Hawkchurch]] and [[Tytherleigh]] were ceded to Devon.<ref>Salmon (pp. 9–10)</ref><ref>Darby & Finn (pp. 71–72)</ref>|group=Note}}<ref name="Census200">{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/1991-and-earlier-censuses/census-bicentenary/area-monitors/regions/dorset/dorset-area-monitor.pdf |page=2 |title=200 years of the Census in Dorset |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |year=2001 |access-date=25 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126071144/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/1991-and-earlier-censuses/census-bicentenary/area-monitors/regions/dorset/dorset-area-monitor.pdf |archive-date=26 November 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following a review by the [[Local Government Commission for England (1992)|Local Government Commission for England]], Bournemouth and Poole each became administratively independent single-tier unitary authorities in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/5356952.boroughs-tax-payers-face-45-per-cent-rise/ |title=Borough's tax payers face 4.5 per cent rise |date=23 February 2005 |publisher=Bournemouth Echo |access-date=8 April 2019 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528115024/https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5356952.boroughs-tax-payers-face-45-per-cent-rise/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8471084.is-it-the-right-time-for-poole-and-bournemouth-to-merge/ |title=Is it the right time for Poole and Bournemouth to merge? |date=23 October 2010 |author=Melanie Vass and James Morton |publisher=Bournemouth Echo |access-date=8 April 2019 |archive-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410203340/https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8471084.is-it-the-right-time-for-poole-and-bournemouth-to-merge/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===National representation===
{{see also|List of parliamentary constituencies in Dorset}}
For representation in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] Dorset is divided into eight Parliamentary constituencies—five [[county constituencies]] and three [[borough constituencies]]. At the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], the Conservative Party was dominant, taking all eight seats.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017/results |title=2017 Results (General Election) |publisher=[[BBC]] |year=2017 |access-date=14 October 2017 |archive-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531172514/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2017/results |url-status=live}}</ref> The borough constituencies of [[Bournemouth East (UK Parliament constituency)|Bournemouth East]], [[Bournemouth West (UK Parliament constituency)|Bournemouth West]] and [[Poole (UK Parliament constituency)|Poole]] were traditionally Conservative [[safe seat]]s and were all represented by Conservative members of parliament until the 2024 United Kingdom general election when they were all gained by Labour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK election results 2024 {{!}} Constituency map |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/results |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/interactive/2010/apr/07/general-election-2010 |title=Election 2010: Which are the safest seats in Britain? |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=7 April 2010 |access-date=9 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410214110/http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/interactive/2010/apr/07/general-election-2010 |archive-date=10 April 2010 |url-status=live |location=London |first=Christine |last=Oliver}}</ref><ref name=2017DS>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000936 |title=Dorset South election results 2017 |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=5 May 2017 |access-date=14 October 2017 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805061635/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000936 |url-status=live}}</ref> The county constituencies of [[North Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|North Dorset]] and [[Christchurch (UK Parliament constituency)|Christchurch]] are also represented by Conservative MPs. Between 1997 and 2019, [[West Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|West Dorset]] was represented by Conservative MP [[Oliver Letwin]] who was the [[Cabinet Office|Minister of State at the Cabinet Office]] in [[David Cameron]]'s government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Letwin_Oliver.aspx |title=Oliver Letwin&nbsp;– Minister for Government Policy |publisher=[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] |access-date=12 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930091750/http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Letwin_Oliver.aspx |archive-date=30 September 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=2017DW>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001031 |title=Dorset West election results 2017 |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=5 May 2017 |access-date=14 October 2017 |archive-date=28 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028185426/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001031 |url-status=live}}</ref> The seat was won by [[Edward Morello]] in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK election results 2024 {{!}} Constituency map |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/results |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The marginal seat of [[South Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|South Dorset]] is represented by [[Lloyd Hatton]], who gained the seat from [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] representative, [[Richard Drax]], in 2024.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=UK election results 2024 {{!}} Constituency map |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/results |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The [[Mid Dorset and North Poole (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Dorset and North Poole]] constituency has been represented by the Liberal Democrat MP, [[Vikki Slade]] since 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK election results 2024 {{!}} Constituency map |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/results |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In the 2024 general election, the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] held two constituencies in Dorset, while the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] gained two and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] gained four.<ref name=":0" />