NORTH Dorset could be among the county’s most closely fought constituencies at the general election.

The majority held by Conservative candidate, Robert Walter, was reduced to 2,244 votes in the 2005 poll, with only South Dorset member, Jim Knight, winning by a slimmer margin in Dorset.

But changes implemented by the Boundary Commission could have a major impact on the 2010 poll, with the transfer of Wimborne and Colehill to the North Poole and Mid Dorset constituency, and Verwood and Three Legged Cross moving to the North Dorset seat from Christchurch.

The North Dorset constituency also includes the market towns of Blandford, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, and Sturminster Newton.

Much of the district is rural. It has a mixed electorate of affluent commuters, second home owners, and wealthy retired people, as well as a sizeable population of low paid agricultural, factory, and shop workers.

Unemployment has risen by nearly a third in the last year and jumped by more than 10 per cent in January alone. Only Blandford has a job centre, following the closure of the Shaftesbury labour exchange.

Housing is unaffordable to almost all young families in North Dorset, despite large housing developments in Blandford and Shaftesbury, each with affordable housing quotients.

The district’s appeal as a retirement destination has kept property prices out of reach for the majority. The National Housing Federation has predicted a 45 per cent rise in the number of over 65s living in the district by 2020 – an estimated 20,500 pensioners.

The key health issue has been a u-turn on health trust pledges to replace the Westminster Memorial Hospital in Shaftesbury. A lack of government funding to replace the ageing community hospital has drawn criticism from both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Threats to the district’s leisure centres have largely been alleviated by action from the consituency’s award-winning community partnerships after funding for leisure centres in Blandford, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, and Sturminster Newton was withdrawn by the Conservative-controlled district council, which blamed the government’s capping regime for budgetary pressures.

Education issues have centred on school provision and funding, with the Conservatives calling for a fairer funding settlement for rural schools, and Liberal Democrats campaigning for a senior school for Verwood – the newest addition to the constituency and its largest town.

Private transport dominates in this rural constituency. Only Gillingham has a station. Bus services are provided by a mix of private and community operators, both heavily subsidised by the county council.

Cross-party support for a "dualing" of a section of the A303 trunk road close to Shaftesbury and Gillingham failed to persuade transport ministers.

A joint campaign from the district’s local and national politicians won government funding for safety measures needed to cope with traffic diverted by road works into the market towns.

The Candidates

Bournemouth Echo: bob walter north dorset

Bob Walter

Robert Walter MP (Conservative). The 61-year-old former City banker and sheep farmer was born in Swansea, privately educated at schools in Bristol and Warminster, and gained a BSc from Aston University in 1971. Mr Walter entered Parliament in 1997 and has retained his North Dorset seat at the general elections of 2001 and 2005. A widower, he has since remarried. He has three children.

Bournemouth Echo: Emily Gasson north dorset

Emily Gasson

Emily Gasson (Liberal Democrat). Educated at Oxford and Durham universities, married to Liberal Democrat high flyer, Ed Davey, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, with whom she has a son, Ms Gasson runs her own legal practice representing social landlords and tenants groups.

Bournemouth Echo: Mike Bunney lab north dorset

Mike Bunney

Mike Bunney (Labour). A school teacher at the Blandford School, and a resident of Stourpaine, Mr Bunney lives and works in the North Dorset constituency. A first time parliamentary candidate campaigning in a Tory stronghold, he can perhaps hope only to build on the 4,600 votes gained by his party in 2005.

Bournemouth Echo: Jeremy Nieboer (UKIP) - north dorset

Jeremy Nieboer

Jeremy Nieboer (UKIP) South African-born, Harrow and Oxford-educated solicitor, Jeremy Nieboer, has lived in Motcombe for over 10 years with his wife and son. A first time candidate, Mr Niebor says his candidacy is driven by the electorate’s “evident disgust for politicians”. He believes the UK should withdraw from Europe “as soon as practicable”, the state should withdraw from health and education provision “with appropriate safeguards for minimum standards”, and that immigration should be halted.

Bournemouth Echo: anna hayball - green north dorset

Anna Hayball

Anna Hayball (Green) has lived in Blandford Forum for more than five years and teaches English at the Blandford School.

She is fully committed to the community in which she lives and to the work which is needed to maintain North Dorset's unique character while creating a sustainable society for its inhabitants.

Hayball joined the Green Party eight years ago after campaigning against the war in Iraq. She is 34 and is married with two young children.

Bournemouth Echo: roger monksummers

Roger Monksummers

Roger Monksummers (Monster Raving Loony William Hill). The 61-year-old retired prison governor is standing as a local alternative to established parties.

He is promising to attend parliament and not to "fiddle" his expenses. Mr Monksummers points to his record as a Gillingham town councillor, a district commissioner with the scout movement, and a manager with the Team GB shooting squad as evidence of his honesty and integrity.

A married father-of-one, he lives in Gillingham with his wife, Chrissy, a teacher and international shooting coach, and their 18-year-old son, Ben. Party)