ALL the seats on Dorset County Council will be up for election on May 4 in a night that will test the strength of the parties nationwide.

Elections will be taking place for 34 councils in England that day, as well as all 32 in Scotland and all 22 in Wales.

Six areas of England are voting for mayors to lead powerful combined local authorities, while two will elect mayors to lead existing local councils.

A parliamentary by-election is held the same day, in the Manchester Gorton seat left vacant by the death of veteran Labour MP Gerald Kaufman.

Dorset County Council last held full elections in May 2013, when Ukip gained its first councillor in Dorset. The Conservatives won 27 seats that night, the Liberal Democrats 12 and Labour five.

By-elections have since changed the state of the parties to: Conservative 27, Lib Dem 13, Labour 4, Greens 1.

A boundary review means there are 46 seats up for election, instead of 45 last time.

Applications to register for a vote must be submitted to the relevant district council by the end of Thursday, April 13. Details are at gov.uk/register-to-vote

Applications for a postal vote are due by 5pm on Tuesday, April 18, and applications for proxy votes by 5pm on Tuesday, April 25, although exceptions can be made for unforeseen illness or incapacity until polling day.

A full list of candidates in the Daily Echo’s area follows. More details of the process are at dorsetforyou.gov.uk/elections

CHRISTCHURCH DIVISIONS

Burton Grange: Jade Bailey (LD), David Jones (Con), Antoinette Pearce (Lab)

Christchurch Central: Peter Hall (Con), Julian Spurr (Lab)

Commons: Fiona Cox (LD), Margaret Phipps (Con), Peter Stokes (Lab)

Mudeford & Highcliffe: Lesley Dedman (Con), Carol Wilcox (Lab)

Walkford: Colin Jamieson (Con), Lindsay Turner (Lab)

EAST DORSET DIVISIONS

Colehill East & Stapehill: Janet Dover (LD), Paul Graham (UKIP), KD Johnson (Con), Ashley Rowlands (Lab).

Colehill West & Wimborne Minster: Shane Bartlett (LD), Chris Brown (Lab), Robin Cook (Con), Nick Wellstead (UKIP).

Corfe Mullen: Paul Harrison (Con), Susan Jefferies (LD), David Mattocks (UKIP), David Peden (Lab).

Cranborne Chase: Cyril Barnes (UKIP), Steve Butler (Con), Joanne Scotton (Lab).

Ferndown (2 seats): Michael Cox (LD), Jason Jones (LD), Peter Lucas (UKIP), Steven Lugg (Con), David Munnik (Lab), Andrew Parry (Con), Ian Wands (Lab), Lawrence Wilson (UKIP).

Moors (2 seats): Ray Bryan (Con), Lily Cox (LD), Robin Grey (UKIP), David Shortell (Con), Heather Snwo (Lab), Sandra Turner (Lab).

Verwood (2 seats): Christopher Archibold (Lab), John Baxter (UKIP), Kate Bisson (Green), Toni Coombs (Con), Spencer Flower (Con), Peter Parsons (Lab), David Tooke (LD).

PURBECK DIVISIONS

Lytchett Minster and Upton: Fred Drane (LD), Mike Fry (UKIP), Richard Jordan (Lab), Bill Pipe (Con).

North West Purbeck: Stewart Bullen (Lab), Josephine Evans (UKIP), John Taylor (LD), Peter Wharf (Con).

South Purbeck: Cherry Brooks (Con), Nigel Dragon (Ind), Graham Holmes (LD), Leigh Van De Zande (Lab).

Swanage: Cherry Bartlett (Lab), Gill Calvin-Thomas (LD), Jason Haiselden (Independent), William Trite (Con).

Wareham: Beryl Ezzard (LD), Roy Holliday (Lab), Laura Miller (Con), Keith Simpson (UKIP).

NORTH DORSET DIVISIONS

Blackmore Vale: Pauline Batstone (Con), Robert Taylor (Lab), David Tibbles (LD), Bill Woodhouse (UKIP).

Blandford Forum: Barrie Cooper (LD), Pat Osborne (Lab), Byron Quayle (Cons), Jane Unwin (UKIP).

Gillingham (2 seats): Andrew Cattaway (Cons), Peter Caulfield (UKIP), Graeme Hole (LD), Geoff Longcroft (Lab), Clive Struver (Lab), Steve Unwin (UKIP), Barry Von Clemens (LD), David Walsh (Cons).

Hambledon: Deborah Croney (Cons), Robert Snow (UKIP), Martin Strange (LD), Keith Yarwood (Lab).

Shaftesbury: Derek Beer (LD), Piers Brown (Cons), Lester Dibben, Ursula Osborne (Lab), Lester Taylor (UKIP).

Stalbridge and The Beacon: Graham Carr-Jones (Cons), Richard Harvey (Lab), Rory Herbert (UKIP), Dorothy Webb (LD).

Winterborne: Hilary Cox (Cons), David Fox (LD), Haydn White (Lab).