Local election outcomes 2024: Key wins and losses throughout the nation | EUROtoday

Sign up for the View from Westminster e-mail for knowledgeable evaluation straight to your inbox

Get our free View from Westminster e-mail

With simply over two-thirds of councils but to declare a end result, consultants have warned the Conservative Party is ready for its worst native election efficiency in 40 years.

So far, 35 out of 107 councils have declared a end result, with Labour grappling three authorities from the Conservatives and an general enhance of 52 councillors – in addition to declaring a crushing victory within the Blackpool South by-election.

Follow our native elections reside weblog right here

The Conservatives have to this point misplaced 122 councillors throughout the nation, whereas the Lib Dems managed to safe 18 extra – with key leads to mayoral elections additionally but to return.

So what are the important thing wins and losses throughout the nation? The Independent takes a glance beneath.

Basildon

The Conservatives fared significantly badly in Essex at this set of native elections – part of England that can be one other key battleground on the normal election.

In Basildon the celebration noticed its variety of councillors fall by 13, with Labour up 9 and Independents up 4, whereas in Castle Point they had been worn out fully, dropping each seat they had been contesting.

Some 13 Conservative candidates failed to look on poll papers in Castle Point due to issues with nominations – a difficulty that has contributed to the brand new council consisting solely of 39 Independents.

Hartlepool

Three years in the past, Sir Keir Starmer is reported to have thought-about resigning as celebration chief after Labour misplaced the Hartlepool parliamentary by-election to the Tories in a humiliating defeat, having beforehand held the seat because it was created in 1974.

But this 12 months Hartlepool gave Labour trigger for celebration, because it received management of the council for the primary time since 2019 because of a internet achieve of seven seats, whereas the Tories misplaced six.

Harlow

Both Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner toured the Essex city of Harlow 24 hours earlier than the polls opened, in a symbolic go to to part of the nation that can be a key battleground on the normal election.

But whereas Labour did make progress in Harlow in Thursday’s council elections, it fell in need of an general majority by the narrowest of margins, ending up with 16 seats, only one behind the Tories on 17.

Nuneaton

There has been a whole change in Nuneaton & Bedworth in Warwickshire, with Labour up 15 seats and the Conservatives down 11, sufficient for Labour to take management of the council for the primary time since 2018.

Oldham

A backlash over Labour’s stance on Gaza additionally noticed the celebration lose Oldham Council, with unbiased candidates – a number of of whom explicitly campaigned in help of Palestine – gaining 5 seats to push the council into no general management.

Labour’s nationwide marketing campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden acknowledged the disaster in Gaza had been “a factor in some places” – however he added that “very local factors” had additionally performed a task in Oldham, whereas council chief Arooj Shah blamed “13 years of austerity” and a “divisive toxic politics”.

Rushmoor

There was higher information for Labour deep within the so-called “blue wall” of the standard Conservative heartland of Hampshire.

The celebration gained seven seats and a majority on Rushmoor council, an space that features the military city of Aldershot, whereas the Tories misplaced eight seats and general management.

Redditch

Labour can be happy with its efficiency within the Worcestershire council of Redditch – one other vital battleground on the normal election – the place the celebration picked up 9 seats and general management, whereas the Conservatives noticed their tally drop by 11.

South Tyneside

It was a much less cheery image for Labour in South Tyneside, the place the celebration suffered a internet lack of 10 seats.

Independent candidates gained 9 seats and the Greens gained two, whereas the Tories misplaced their solely councillor, in what might be a mirrored image of anger over Labour’s place on Israel’s conflict in Gaza, or dissatisfaction with native points, not least a long-running native bin assortment strike.

Labour nonetheless has a majority right here, however solely simply: the brand new council can have 28 Labour councillors, 15 Independents and 11 Greens.

Sunderland

The Reform Party had a full or near-full slate of candidates in solely a handful of councils holding elections this 12 months and Sunderland was one of some locations the place it fought each seat.

While the celebration didn’t win any of them, it did beat the Conservatives into third place in 16 of the 25 seats up for grabs. Labour made a internet achieve of six to extend its comfy majority.

Tees Valley

The Tees Valley mayoral race was one probably imperilling Rishi Sunak’s premiership. But regardless of Labour beneficial properties, Tory favorite Ben Houchen comfortably retained the mayoralty, even clinging on in Hartlepool, the place Labour concurrently took management of the council.

In his acceptance speech, nonetheless, Mr Houchen – whose rivals claimed had run as a “quasi-independent” – thanked voters for “backing my plan”, and stated pointedly that, “to be frank it doesn’t matter to me” whether or not he labored with Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister.

Thurrock

This Essex council was one other certainly one of Labour’s prime targets in a key Conservative-Labour election battleground.

The celebration wanted to realize six seats to take management of Thurrock, which has been run by the Tories for the previous few years throughout a interval of turbulence that noticed the council declared successfully bankrupt in December 2022.

Labour ended up making a internet achieve of eight seats, sufficient for a transparent majority, with Independents selecting up two and the Tories struggling a internet lack of 10.

Police and crime commissioners

Three of the 37 police and crime commissioner outcomes for England and Wales have been declared to this point, with Labour gaining Avon & Somerset and Cumbria from the Conservatives, whereas the Tories have held Lincolnshire.

Additional reporting by PA