NEW faces are joining councils while some familiar characters are on their way out following local elections in Dorset.

It was Labour’s day at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council as the group won two seats while the Conservatives strengthened their control of West Dorset District Council.

Campaigners fighting the district council’s proposed move to new offices in Dorchester’s Charles Street development hoped that opposition to the move would materialise in a weakening of the Tories’ stronghold on the authority.

That hope failed to translate though as the Conservatives, who previously held 28 of the 48 seats on the council, increased their share to 32 councillors.

The Liberal Democrats, who have supported the anti-Charles Street campaign, fell back from 14 members to 11.

Among their losses was Karl Wallace who lost his Bridport South and Bothenhampton seat to Tory Frances McKenzie.

The Lib Dems did however retain the seven out of eight seats in the four Dorchester wards.

Conservative Council leader Robert Gould, who comfortably held onto his seat in the Queen Thorne ward, said he was ‘pleased and encouraged’ with the outcome of the election.

In Weymouth and Portland Labour took Westham North off the Liberal Democrats ousting long-serving councillor Brendan Webster and took Westham West from the Conservative councillor Jean Woodward.

Westham West was the hardest fought ward with two close recounts called.

Conservative Jean Woodward lost her seat to Labour candidate Lucy Hamilton. Newcomer for the Liberal Democrats Ryan Hope, 19, was the youngest candidate and lost out on the seat by only three votes.

Ryan said: “I have worked really hard for six years in the community and worked really hard in the last eight weeks. I knocked on every door.”

New councillor Lucy Hamilton said she is looking forward to working for her constituents.

The new borough council will have two Independent councillors, seven Labour councillors, ten Liberal Democrats and 17 conservatives.

Leader of the council, Conservative Geoff Petherick said that the changes in the council make-up would not really change because of the election.

He said: “I’m really pleased. Nationally it wasn’t so positive for Conservatives but it’s made hardly any difference to us. We had seven new candidates standing and I’m happy with their performance.”

He added that the council would keep council tax the same this year and hoped to reduce it for 2014.