Before (end of 1996) (36 seats, Elections Centre)
Liberal Democrats 23 · Conservative 13 · Other 0 · Labour 0
After (end of 1997) (36 seats, Elections Centre)
Liberal Democrats 23 · Conservative 13 · Labour 0 · Other 0
Ward results
Colehill1 seat · turnout 79.7%
| D. Wallace | Liberal Democrats | 2,992 ✓ |
| G. Elliott | Conservative | 2,435 |
| E Matthews | Labour | 493 |
Corfe Mullen1 seat · turnout 76.7%
| L. Jones | Liberal Democrats | 3,113 ✓ |
| D. Burt | Conservative | 2,456 |
| D. Hogan | Labour | 582 |
Cranborne Chase1 seat · turnout 77.0%
| T. Palmer | Conservative | 2,366 ✓ |
| A. Humphries | Liberal Democrats | 2,343 |
| M Owen | Labour | 436 |
Ferndown1 seat · turnout 75.5%
| P. Batsone | Conservative | 2,781 ✓ |
| R Slade | Liberal Democrats | 1,771 |
| D Finch | Labour | 450 |
Hampreston South1 seat · turnout 79.3%
| D. Halton | Conservative | 2,993 ✓ |
| M Tidd | Liberal Democrats | 1,953 |
| Jackie Franklin | Labour | 443 |
Minster1 seat · turnout 74.3%
| P. Hymers | Liberal Democrats | 2,971 ✓ |
| I. Fairey | Conservative | 1,887 |
| D. Stone | Labour | 683 |
St. Leonards & St. Ives1 seat · turnout 79.0%
| Ann Warman | Conservative | 2,998 ✓ |
| M. Biggin | Liberal Democrats | 1,319 |
| M. Lock | Labour | 317 |
Verwood1 seat · turnout 77.2%
| A. Bussey | Liberal Democrats | 3,708 ✓ |
| E. Burt | Conservative | 3,576 |
| D Crisp | Labour | 577 |
West Moors1 seat · turnout 79.1%
| P. Gaussen | Conservative | 2,998 ✓ |
| M Barron | Liberal Democrats | 2,813 |
| C Hampton | Labour | 611 |