Our live feed has now finished.
- We will be covering the counts across Dorset tonight
- The seats at stake were last contested in 2013, with Ukip seeing a surge in support and their first councillor elected to Dorset County Council, in Ferndown
- Nationally, the party’s popularity was high, with more than one million people voting for them
- Under plans to reshape local councils, Dorset County Council could be abolished and re-emerge as part of a single tier, all purpose authority across the county, excluding the conurbation.
- A decision on the 'Future Dorset' proposal is expected from the government after the general election.
- The council is Conservative-controlled and 45 seats are up for grabs.
- There are no elections in Bournemouth and Poole.
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