If you are a resident and would like to play a vital role in shaping services in the Dorset Council area, this year could be your opportunity.

All 82 seats for Dorset Council are up for election in May this year.

Many candidates stand as a member of a political party, but you do not need to be a member of a political party and you do not need to be aligned to one of the existing political groups on the council in order to stand for election.

A briefing for Candidates and Agents for the election on 2 May will be held at 9.30am on Friday 19 January, and repeated at 5.30pm on Monday 22 January. These briefings will cover key changes in the Election Act 2022, the election timetable, qualifications for standing as a candidate and submission of Nomination Papers.

Booking is essential so if you would like to attend this briefing either in-person or remotely please register your interest by complete a booking form on https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Nd9OCtLwI06Y9rCQC06h5tWqaKa7FFVAk6uVMPr2DGRUMVJYTDczSDk3TTNFWTFYUlVHVDZHQURYRC4u

You can attend the briefing in person in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ or, if you prefer, you can join it remotely via Microsoft Teams.

There will be an opportunity at the end of the briefing for both in-person and remote attendees to ask any questions not covered in the presentation.

To stand for election as a councillor for Dorset Council, you must:

• Be 18 years old or over on the day of your nomination
• Be a British citizen, an EU citizen, or a Commonwealth citizen
• Be registered to vote in and/or have either lived or worked in the Dorset Council area for at least one year.

If you have any questions, please contact the Elections Team at elections@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or call us on 01305 838299

More information is available on the Dorset Council website.