The Conservatives have remained in overall control of Dorset County Council.

Counts held overnight have revealed that the Conservatives won 27 of the 45 seats in yesterday's county council elections in Dorset.

This represents a loss of two seats.

The Liberal Democrats won 12 seats* and, as well as Labour winning three seats in Weymouth and Portland, the Labour and Co-operative party also secured two seats in the borough.

In the west of the county Liberal Democrat Ros Kayes secured the seat in the Bridport division.

Former Bridport Labour councillor Karl Wallace had stood in the Bride Valley in yesterday’s poll.

Conservative Rebecca Knox retains the seat in Beaminster and fellow Tory Ron Coatsworth continues to represent the Bride Valley.

Daryl Turner was elected in the Marshwood Vale meaning the Conservatives hold the seat.

West Dorset's turnout figure is announced as 37.47% with 30,129 votes cast.

Elsewhere UKIP candidate Ian Smith took a seat from the Conservatives in Ferndown and the council's one Independent member, Les Ames, lost his seat to the Labour and Co-operative party in Portland Tophill.

The make up of the new county council is: Conservative - 27 Liberal Democrat - 12 Labour - 3 Labour and Co-operative - 2 UKIP - 1.

Of the 45 newly elected members of the council, 18 will be new faces.

A total number of 125,682 votes were cast in the county council elections across Dorset.

Overall turnout was 37.86 per cent, compared to 43.22 per cent in 2009. For full details of all Dorset County Council results, go to http://mapping.dorsetforyou.com/elections/2013

The first full meeting of the new county council will be held at County Hall in Dorchester on Thursday May 16, where the newly elected councillors will elect their leader and appoint members to other key positions.

*Earlier this week, Cllr David C Fox switched from the Liberal Democrat party to the Wessex Regionalist party. He was not standing for re-election, but this meant that the number of Liberal Democrats before the election was 13 not 14.

THE RESULTS IN FULL

Beaminster

Rebecca Knox Con 1574, 53.83 percent.

Edward Gerrard Lib Dem 556, 19.2 percent.

Joan Bolton UKIP 457, 15.63 percent.

Catherine Shaw Lab 169, 5.78 percent.

Anne Clements Green 168, 5.75 percent.

Turnout 43.52 percent (2924 votes out of 6718 eligible).

 

Bride Valley

Ron Coatsworth Con 1106, 42.54 percent.

Malcolm Piers-Taylor UKIP 596, 22.92 percent.

Karl Wallace Lab 343, 13.19 percent.

Terry Harrison Lib Dem 298, 11.46 percent.

Julian Jones Green 257, 9.88 percent.

Turnout 39.48 percent (2600 votes out of 6586 eligible).

 

Bridport

Ros Kayes Lib Dem 863, 33.41 percent.

Roger Stoodley Con 664, 25.71 percent.

Keith Hansford UKIP 463, 17.92 percent.

Karen Ellis Lab 404, 15.64 percent.

Leon Edwards Green 189, 7.32 percent.

Turnout 34.1 percent (2583 votes out of 7594 eligible).

 

Marshwood Vale

Daryl Turner Con 1332, 51.65 percent.

Patrick Hicks Lib Dem 696, 26.99 percent.

Chit Chong Green 322, 12.49 percent.

Richard Nicholls Lab 229, 8.88 percent.

Turnout 36.44 percent (2579 votes from 7077 eligible).