Labour lose all four councils
By politics.co.uk staff
Labour has suffered in the local elections, losing control of all four of its county councils.
Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire all fell to the Conservatives.
So too did Derbyshire, which Conservatives had identified as the key county to take. The Tories managed to gain a majority by one seat with the last three wards called all going to them.
This is the first time the Conservatives have held overall control in either Derbyshire or Lancashire county since the early 80s and exemplify the devastating day Labour has had as results continue to roll in.
David Cameron’s party had an excellent run, gaining control of six councils in total with two-thirds of local authorities declaring.
By Friday evening they were also up 194 council seats, while 200 Labour councillors had lost their seats.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats managed to take Bristol but lost control of Somerset and Devon to the Conservatives.
They lost 20 councillors by 18:00 BST, while other parties were up 26. The British National party (BNP) won its first county council seat in Burnley.
