Before (end of 1986) (22 seats, Elections Centre)
Other 9 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 7 · Conservative 6 · Labour 0
After (end of 1987) (22 seats, Elections Centre)
Other 8 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 7 · Conservative 7 · Labour 0
Ward results
Castle1 seat · turnout 53.1%
| J. Parsons | Independent | 486 ✓ |
| D. Jones | Lib/Sdp | 456 |
| L. Hayward | Independent | 241 |
| R Huskinson | Labour | 135 |
Lytchett Minster1 seat · turnout 38.7%
| D. Humphry | RES | 1,044 |
| L. Dean | Lib/Sdp | 873 |
| C. Wilmot | Labour | 267 |
St Martin2 seats · turnout 52.3%
| Bond M. | Conservative | 395 |
| M. Morrissey | Conservative | 368 |
| H. Bell | Lib/Sdp | 359 |
| E. Aitken | Lib/Sdp | 329 |
| J. Hedley | Labour | 274 |
| W. Bentham | Labour | 174 |
Swanage North1 seat · turnout 51.7%
| J. Lever | Conservative | 933 |
| G. Rawlings | Lib/Sdp | 588 |
| C. Haysom | Labour | 59 |
Swanage South1 seat · turnout 46.7%
| J. Bolton | Conservative | 728 ✓ |
| W. Bradford | RES | 552 |
| N. Gardner | Lib/Sdp | 287 |
| W. Wilson | Independent | 277 |
| W Harding | Labour | 148 |
Wareham1 seat · turnout 54.0%
| C. Butler | Lib/Sdp | 1,253 |
| R Anderson | Conservative | 1,045 |
| D. McNairn | Labour | 249 |
Wool1 seat · turnout 57.9%
| Leigh Simone Hunt | Conservative | 935 |
| J. Briggs | All | 482 |
| S Shinn | Labour | 450 |