AT 33 Emma Parker of Winterborne Whitechurch is one of the youngest candidates in the elections for seats on North Dorset District Council.

She is seeking election as a Conservative in one of the widest spread geographical wards, Abbey, covering from Anderson and Winterborne Zelston in the east to Milton Abbas with an electorate of more than 3,000.

It is represented by two seats held for many years by councillors who are not seeking re-election – Della Jones and Michael Cox.

Mrs Parker, the mother of a 12-year-old daughter, works as the manager of the equine section at a pet supplies business in Dorchester.

Endorsing her candidature, Mrs Jones, who is standing down after 45 years as a district councillor, said: "She's not your usual type of Tory lady. She lives in a council house, and was until recently a barmaid at a local pub.

"But she is full of uncomplicated common sense, and if she is elected will bring a breath of fresh air to the council."

Like Mrs Jones, Mrs Parker is an enthusiastic fundraiser for Cancer Research UK, and the week after the election will be taking part in the annual Moonwalk in London for the second time.

She also enjoys horse riding, and is a member of the Countryside Alliance and British Horse Society.

Educated in the local village school and Blandford School, she said: "I treasure the peace of living in this rural environment, where the lack of affordable social housing and lack of village amenities makes it difficult for other young people to live."

Her running mate for the Conservatives is Jane Somper, 46, of Glue Hill, Sturminster Newton. A mother of three, she has a part-time job in the farm shop at Gold Hill Organic in Child Okeford.

She said: "I have always been interested in local politics and wanted to do my bit, so became involved in canvassing for the general election after making contact with the branch in Sturminster Newton.

"I sat in on a couple of district council meetings and at one the only woman was the person taking the minutes. There should be more women members because mums can be just as articulate."

She said not actually living in the ward where she was seeking election was an advantage because it meant she could look at things objectively and with a fresh eye.

Opposition takes the form of only one Liberal Democrat candidate, Graham Burton, of Malthouse Cottages, Ansty, who has sought election on a number of occasions before to Dorset County Council.

A self-employed businessman with a background in photography and marketing, he runs a recycling business in Winterborne Whitechurch and is a long-time supporter of the Soil Association and green organisations.

A father of three, including a daughter with cerebral palsy attending a special needs school and husband of a local school teacher, he particularly appreciates the extra difficulties that families have to bear, particular when they are without the resources for private education and medicine.

He said: "It's time to asses what services are vital, important, and/or unnecessary to our communities."

He supports the Alternative Vote system, although says it is a "consolation prize" alternative to proportional representation favoured by the Lib Dems. He said it was a compromise born of the coalition but represented one of the most significant democratic opportunities for voters since the Magna Carta.

He said: "If it passes through, it will be the beginning of real change because our present system is so biased to those with money and in power. It's no wonder the Conservatives don't want it."