Con held for 5 consecutive elections.
MP News Approval i
+55
Simon Hoare
Conservative and Unionist PartySimon Hoare is the Conservative MP for North Dorset, and has been an MP continually since 7 May 2015.
MPs voted to approve updated regulations governing official controls on imports and border checks, continuing work begun under the previous Conservative government. The vote was largely uncontroversial, though Jim Allister raised concerns about how the underlying EU regulation affects Northern Ireland's constitutional position under the Windsor Framework.
MPs voted to approve technical changes to the UK's electricity capacity market regulations, removing an outdated EU requirement for 10-year approval reviews that no longer applies now the UK has left the EU. The changes are designed to ensure long-term security of electricity supply.
MPs voted on whether to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill its Second Reading, advancing legislation that would create a 'smoke-free generation' by progressively raising the legal age for buying tobacco so that anyone born after 2009 could never legally purchase cigarettes, while also cracking down on vaping among young people.
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Sign up freeCoverage of North Dorset has been mixed for Simon across 40 recent articles.
A marginal seat — won by just 1,589 votes (3.2%) in 2024. Covers Verwood, Blandford Forum and Gillingham (Dorset). Population 92,166, notably older (median age 49 vs 41 nationally). Recorded crime is 61% below the national average.
Man arrested as teen left with facial injuries after assault
Daily Echo Sport · 9 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£28,200
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£37,800
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
4,375
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
53
35 primary, 7 secondary, 11 other
Total Income Tax▼
£321m
from 53,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£2,710
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£6,060
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
43.7
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
62.6%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
5 towns, 13 villages, rural areas — 94,720 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
19 councillors across 13 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon | Conservative and Unionist Party | Jane Somper | May 2024 |
| Blackmore Vale | Conservative and Unionist Party | Stephen Murcer | May 2024 |
| Blandford | Conservative and Unionist Party | Byron Robert Quayle | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Noc Lacey-Clarke | May 2024 | |
| Cranborne Alderholt | Liberal Democrats | Dave Tooke | May 2024 |
| Cranborne Chase | Conservative and Unionist Party | Piers Brown | May 2024 |
| Gillingham | Conservative and Unionist Party | Belinda Brenda Louise Ridout | May 2024 |
| Liberal Democrats | Carl Anthony Woode | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Val Pothecary | May 2024 | |
| Hill Forts Upper Tarrants | Conservative and Unionist Party | Sherry Jespersen | May 2024 |
| Puddletown Lower Winterborne | Conservative and Unionist Party | Emma Jayne Parker | May 2024 |
| Shaftesbury Town | Liberal Democrats | Derek Leslie Beer | May 2024 |
| Liberal Democrats | Jack David John Jeanes | May 2024 | |
| Stalbridge Marnhull | Conservative and Unionist Party | James Charles Vitali | May 2024 |
| Sturminster Newton | Conservative and Unionist Party | Carole Yvonne Jones | May 2024 |
| Verwood | Conservative and Unionist Party | Simon Gibson | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Spencer Grant Flower | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Toni Bartley Coombs | May 2024 | |
| Winterborne North | Liberal Democrats | Barrie George Cooper | May 2024 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 18,208 | 36.6% |
| LD | 16,619 | 33.5% | |
| Ref | 7,894 | 15.9% | |
| Lab | 4,370 | 8.8% | |
| Green | 2,082 | 4.2% | |
| Ind | 317 | 0.6% | |
| Ind | 119 | 0.2% | |
| Ind | 74 | 0.1% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 35,705 | 63.6% |
Won 2024 GE | LD | 11,404 | 20.3% |
| Lab | 6,737 | 12.0% | |
| Green | 2,261 | 4.0% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 36,169 | 64.9% |
| Lab | 10,392 | 18.6% | |
| LD | 7,556 | 13.6% | |
| Green | 1,607 | 2.9% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2017 GE | Con | 30,227 | 56.6% |
| Ind | 9,109 | 17.1% | |
| LD | 6,226 | 11.7% | |
| Lab | 4,785 | 9.0% | |
| Green | 3,038 | 5.7% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Con | 27,640 | 51.0% | |
| LD | 20,015 | 37.0% | |
| Lab | 2,910 | 5.4% | |
| Ind | 2,812 | 5.2% | |
| Green | 546 | 1.0% | |
| Ind | 218 | 0.4% |
Simon Hoare has not appeared in national political news coverage tracked by our system. This is common for backbench MPs who focus on constituency-level work rather than national policy debates.
15 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
A teenage boy was assaulted in Shaftesbury on March 26, sustaining facial injuries. An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and released on police bail while investigations continue.
A teenager was assaulted in Shaftesbury on 26 January, resulting in facial injuries. An 18-year-old man from the area was arrested and released on bail pending further investigation.
LSL Property Services has acquired Meyers Franchising Limited, a Dorchester-based estate agency operation with 10 franchise partners and six branches across Dorset. The acquisition adds to LSL's South Coast presence and is expected to be earnings accretive this year.
The Sturminster Newton Literary Festival, held in North Dorset, will feature acclaimed war artist George Butler alongside other notable authors and speakers in June 2026. The festival showcases local and regional cultural events including discussions on conflict, crime, history, and environmental issues.
A major fire at an industrial unit in Fordingbridge (within North Dorset) on April 5 damaged Dan Walters Motor Mechanics and Dalbergia Ltd. Fire investigators cannot determine the cause as the building is structurally unsound and unsafe to enter.
A lorry became stuck on Zig Zag Hill near Shaftesbury, causing traffic delays. Dorset Police attended and the vehicle was able to manoeuvre free without requiring recovery.
A motorbike and bicycle were stolen from a garage in Gillingham, north Dorset, between March 24-25. Police are appealing for information on the distinctive Yamaha R6 600cc motorbike.
A community hub in Winterbourne Kingston, owned by Lower Winterbourne Parish Council, has been destroyed by fire for the second time in nine months. The building, which had not been repaired or in use since the first fire in July, was completely destroyed in a fire on April 7; the cause is under investigation.
A suspected burglar was arrested in Ashley Heath following a foot chase after officers responded to a break-in in progress. The incident involved coordinated police response including patrol officers, firearms units, and a dog team, with assistance from a member of the public.
A survey by Pets As Therapy shows 92% of South West pet owners believe therapy animals help hospital and care home patients. The article features a Shaftesbury-based volunteer and mentions a visit to The Blackmore Vale Surgery in Dorset, highlighting the emotional benefits of therapy animal visits.
A house fire in Gillingham, Dorset was caused by sunlight reflecting off a mirror onto a cardboard box. The fire self-extinguished before causing significant damage, and fire crews fitted new smoke alarms and issued safety advice to residents about reflective objects in sunlight.
A property fire occurred in Winterborne Kingston, North Dorset on April 7, with emergency services from Sturminster Newton and Blandford responding. The fire was extinguished by 7:30am and the cause is under investigation.
Multiple firefighters from across Dorset responded to a significant heath fire in Ferndown on Easter Sunday, April 5, covering an area of approximately 100 by 200 metres. The incident required six fire crews and additional resources from Verwood, Redhill Park, Springbourne, Westbourne, Christchurch, Ferndown, Wimborne, and Ringwood.
Port Regis School near Shaftesbury in Dorset has been named one of the top three boarding prep schools in the UK by The Week Best of the Best Independent Schools Guide 2026. The school, founded in 1881, has achieved 93 scholarships to senior schools in the past three years and serves pupils aged 2-13 across Dorset and Somerset.
North Dorset Police officers successfully recovered a vehicle stolen from Sussex after a multi-week search across the constituency. The recovery involved collaboration between local police teams and support from local businesses providing CCTV footage, demonstrating effective community policing.
A car stolen from Sussex in early March was located in North Dorset after a month-long search involving neighbourhood policing teams from Gillingham and Sturminster Newton. The vehicle has been recovered and returned to its owner, with the investigation now passing to Sussex Police.
A prison officer from Ferndown in North Dorset was jailed for four and a half years for smuggling drugs and mobile phones into HMP Guys Marsh in Shaftesbury between January and September 2023. The smuggling operation, worth over £90,000 in contraband, involved corrupt prison staff and external accomplices and created an illegal market within the prison that fuelled violence and criminal activity.
An £880,000 donation from Cedars Castle Hill has secured the future of Weldmar Hospicecare's Specialist Hospice at Home service in north Dorset, which provides end-of-life care to patients in Shaftesbury and surrounding areas. The funding, generated from the sale of nursing homes, ensures continuity of vital palliative care services that the hospice must raise over £27,000 daily to maintain.
A theft at Damory Garage in Blandford Forum, Dorset saw a group of men steal AdBlue fuel additive while accompanied by a young child. The incident highlights rising fuel prices across the UK driven by Middle Eastern conflict and supply chain disruptions affecting fuel availability.
A care home in Verwood hosted an Easter egg hunt that raised £51 for Julia's House children's hospice, bringing together residents, families, and children for a community fundraising event. The initiative demonstrates local community engagement and support for a regional children's hospice charity.
Tesco Shaftesbury has donated £516.83 to Pepperell House, a mental health recovery service in the area, supporting patients transitioning from hospital care. The partnership included Christmas support and the funds will be used for recreational facilities and activities to aid residents' wellbeing.
Verwood Concert Brass has qualified for the National Brass Band Championships at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time in 162 years, while Verwood Town Band secured second place and promotion to the First Section. This represents a major cultural achievement for the Dorset town, reflecting years of community dedication and strong musical development programmes.
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