Before (end of 1995) (36 seats, Elections Centre)
Liberal Democrats 19 · Conservative 13 · Labour 4 · Other 0
After (end of 1996) (39 seats, Elections Centre)
Liberal Democrats 23 · Conservative 13 · Labour 3 · Other 0
Ward results
Alderney3 seats · turnout 38.5%
| R. Dugdale | Liberal Democrats | 1,665 ✓ |
| A. Trent | Liberal Democrats | 1,548 ✓ |
| C. Meachin | Liberal Democrats | 1,499 ✓ |
| A Gardner | Labour | 1,135 |
| P Dickens | Labour | 1,130 |
| Dorothy Coates | Labour | 1,125 |
| C Greenwood | Conservative | 430 |
| M Maurer | Conservative | 412 |
| N Harvey | Conservative | 398 |
Bourne Valley3 seats · turnout 29.5%
| M. Howlett | Liberal Democrats | 1,030 ✓ |
| N. Franklyn | Liberal Democrats | 942 ✓ |
| H Pethen | Conservative | 922 ✓ |
| W. Beckwith | Conservative | 915 |
| J Baxter | Liberal Democrats | 910 |
| G. Brooks | Conservative | 890 |
| C. Boddington | Labour | 670 |
| S. Hilton | Labour | 656 |
| L. Handley | Independent | 364 |
| J Barry | LIB | 357 |
| G. Grace | Independent | 210 |
| L. Moore | Independent | 185 |
| Y. Pearson | Labour | 177 |
| D Dearland | Independent | 132 |
Canford Magna3 seats · turnout 39.9%
| Jane James | Liberal Democrats | 1,878 ✓ |
| L. Legg | Liberal Democrats | 1,771 ✓ |
| R Hood | Liberal Democrats | 1,653 ✓ |
| R. Gregory | Conservative | 1,213 |
| J. Miller | Conservative | 1,154 |
| J. Sorton | Conservative | 1,111 |
| S. Guy | Labour | 380 |
| V. Neville | Labour | 277 |
| G Weighell | Labour | 256 |
| M Sheppard | Independent | 89 |
Canforth Heath3 seats · turnout 26.5%
| J. Curtis | Liberal Democrats | 1,581 ✓ |
| A. Muspratt | Liberal Democrats | 1,566 ✓ |
| M. Mackenzie | Liberal Democrats | 1,528 ✓ |
| T. Frier | Conservative | 692 |
| Judes Butt | Conservative | 689 |
| S. Richards | Conservative | 648 |
| G Inglis | Labour | 553 |
| L. Kybert | Labour | 528 |
| P Kybert | Labour | 514 |
Hamworthy3 seats · turnout 28.9%
| J. Jones | Liberal Democrats | 1,068 ✓ |
| P Dykes | Liberal Democrats | 1,027 ✓ |
| C. Wilmot | Labour | 1,015 ✓ |
| D. Brown | Labour | 1,011 |
| L. Knight | Liberal Democrats | 959 |
| A Zakrzewski | Labour | 905 |
| D Chambers | Conservative | 604 |
| P. Sawyer | Conservative | 582 |
| N Rose | Conservative | 578 |
Harbour3 seats · turnout 39.2%
| B. Leverett | Conservative | 1,816 ✓ |
| C. Bulteel | Conservative | 1,604 ✓ |
| F Wretham | Conservative | 1,584 ✓ |
| B. Jones | Labour | 1,180 |
| G. Greening | Labour | 1,134 |
| Jennifer Ellis | Labour | 1,125 |
| D. Jewitt | Liberal Democrats | 707 |
| I. Alexander | Liberal Democrats | 649 |
| A Peters | Liberal Democrats | 603 |