PERCEIVED failures at the national and local level could cost the Conservatives when people take to the polls next week, the party’s opponents have claimed.

Candidates from across the political spectrum say they expect the party to be impacted by the prolonged Brexit process and that it could pave the way for the election of more opposition councillors on Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

However, the former Conservative leader of Bournemouth council, Cllr John Beesley, said he hoped their “strong track record” locally would bring them success on May 2.

The elections will be the first since the formation of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council at the beginning of the month.

As part of the merger of the three borough councils, the number of councillors was reduced from 120 to 76, increasing competition across the 33 wards.

Conservative nominees have been distancing themselves from the issues facing the national party with many taking to social media to stress that they will only have influence locally.

However, Liberal Democrat candidate for Canford Heath and the vice-chairman of its Poole council group, Cllr Sandra Moore, said their efforts appeared to have failed.

“National issues are definitely affecting the Tory vote,” she said. “They are clearly having to separate national from local but some people feel this is the only way for them to send the government a message.”

Her view was echoed by independent candidate for the Commons ward, Cllr Margaret Phipps – a former Conservative member of Christchurch council.

“What I’m finding on the doorstep is a lot of people who are completely disillusioned with the Conservative Party,” she said.

“The failure to sort Brexit is a big issue but there’s also, in Christchurch, a feeling that they were not listened to in their opposition to the merger with Bournemouth and Poole.”

Christchurch Labour Party chairman and Burton and Grange candidate, Andy Dunne, said people felt they were not being represented by their Conservative councillors.

“People are really unhappy about the merger,” he said. “As far as they are concerned they had a vote and were heavily against it yet it happened anyway.

“They feel their voices aren’t being heard.”

While all three of the former borough councils were controlled by Conservatives, the majority was less pronounced in Poole.

Of its 42 councillors, 14 did not represent the party – with eight being Liberal Democrats, four Poole People councillors, one for Ukip and one classed as ‘other’.

Eighteen of the 21 councillors on Christchurch council were Conservatives with two independents and one affiliated to no group.

In Bournemouth, only four of the 54 seats were not filled by Conservatives – with three independents and one Green Party member – Cllr Simon Bull.

He said the election of more candidates from other groups would create a more effective council.

“It’s unhealthy to have councils so heavily dominated by a single party like it was in Bournemouth,” he said.

“National things always have an effect in local elections and I think they will play a part this time too and that will have the biggest impact on the Conservatives.

“Hopefully I will be re-elected and hopefully that is with a couple more Greens but I would like a mixture of people from across all parties and groups.”

More than one tenth of all candidates for the elections have put themselves down as independents.

Many in Christchurch are former Conservative councillors who had opposed local government reorganisation and say the party has let them down by not respecting the views of the borough.

In Bournemouth, several were Conservative members of Bournemouth council who were not selected to stand for the new council.

Cllr John Beesley, the former leader of Bournemouth council who is standing in Westbourne and West Cliff, said all of its candidates had been selected on their merits.

He added that he felt the Conservatives’ achievements while running the three now abolished councils would bring its candidates success at the polls.

“We are clearly running this as a local election campaign for the residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole,” he said.

“When you remind people that this is for the local council then you generally have a bit of an impact because they recognise it’s not about Westminster.

“The campaign has got another week to run and we are all working hard to get the Conservative message across.

“We have got a strong track record of delivering local services and hopefully people will recognise that on polling day.”

Voting for all of the wards across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will take place on Thursday, May 2.

Ballot papers will be counted at Bournemouth International Centre the following day.