We are the parish authority for the county town of Dorset. There has been a history of local government in the town since Anglo Saxon times and Dorchester has been the county town since 1305. It has elected a mayor since 1629. The Town Council was created in 1974.

The town has a population of around 20,000, which continues to grow quickly with the expansion of Dorchester at Poundbury and Brewery Square. The Town Council provides a range of community and recreational facilities, and promotes the town’s interests with the other statutory bodies that operate in the town, notably the Dorset Council.