West Purbeck (ward)

West Purbeck
West Purbeck
ward; Dorset Council
Population	10,308
Major settlements	Bere Regis, West Lulworth
Current ward
Created	2019
Councillor	Laura Beddow (Conservative)
Councillor	Michael Baker (Liberal Democrats)
Number of councillors	2

Last updated June 04, 2025

West Purbeck is an electoral ward in Dorset. Since 2019, the ward has elected 2 councillors to Dorset Council.^[1]

Geography

The ward contains the western parts of the Isle of Purbeck stretching from Bere Regis in the north to West Lulworth in the south.^[2]

Election	Councillors
2019		Laura Beddow^[3] (Conservative)		Peter Wharf^[4] (Conservative)
2024		Laura Beddow^[3] (Conservative)		Michael Baker (Liberal Democrats)

2019 Dorset Council election: West Purbeck (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Laura Jane Miller	1,142	44.1
	Conservative	Peter Kendrick Wharf	1,064	41.1
	Independent	Malcolm Leonard Shakesby	848	32.7
	Liberal Democrats	David H Bhattacharjee	556	21.5
	Liberal Democrats	David Sinclair Burden	375	14.5
	Labour	Jon Davey	307	11.8
	Labour	Nick Chaffey	288	11.1
Majority
Turnout			2,591	36.59
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

2024 Dorset Council election: West Purbeck (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Michael John Baker	1,245	52.3	+30.8
	Conservative	Laura Jane Beddow*	962	40.4	−3.7
	Liberal Democrats	David Graham Civil	929	39.0	+24.5
	Conservative	Peter Kendrick Wharf*	835	35.1	−6.0
	Labour	Peter David Green	300	12.6	+0.8
	Labour	David Peden	171	7.2	−3.9
Turnout			2,380	33.41	+3.18
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	17.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	15.3

West Purbeck
ward Dorset Council
Population	10,308
Major settlements	Bere Regis, West Lulworth
Current ward
Created	2019 (2019)
Councillor	Laura Beddow (Conservative)
Councillor	Michael Baker (Liberal Democrats)
Number of councillors	2