Adur council win among Labour's election gains

Labour took Adur from the Tories and held Worthing in counts in Sussex

Labour has taken Adur District Council from the Conservatives and kept control of Worthing and Crawley in this year's local elections.

Friday's count left Hastings council under no overall control, but with the Greens looking to form a majority with another group.

A total of 57 seats across the four Sussex councils were up for re-election.

Election results for the county's police and crime commissioner are expected to be announced on Sunday.

'Doorstep abuse'

Labour gained Adur from the Tories after taking eight seats. It is the first time the party has controlled the council, which now has 17 Labour, eight Conservative, two Green and two independent members.

BBC Sussex political reporter Lucinda Adam said Labour’s Adur win was "historic".

She said: "Visibly emotional, Councillor Neil Parkin who’s been the Conservative leader here for 24 years blamed decisions in Whitehall and said he had been surprised to receive abuse on doorsteps when campaigning.

"He said it was frustrating voters had used these local elections to send a message to Westminster."

Two years ago, Labour took Worthing from a minority Conservative administration, in one of the biggest shocks of the 2022 polls, and this year's Worthing count saw Labour gain a further two seats.

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Hastings saw political upheaval recently, when eight Labour members split to form the Hastings Independents and took control of the council in alliance with Green Party members.

Friday's count left the authority under no overall control.

It was a key target for the Green Party, which now has 12 members. Labour have eight, the Conservatives five, Hastings Independents have six, and there is one other independent.

BBC reporter Claudia Sermbezis said: "It's good news for the Greens in Hastings.

"Now they will be looking to form a majority with either Hastings Independents or Labour. There will be a lot of discussion in the next few weeks."

Paul Barnett, from Hastings Independents, congratulated the Greens, and said: "We will continue our campaigning to change how education, housing and water work, and will be back next year.”

Twelve seats were contested in Crawley, but Labour kept control of the council

At Crawley's K2 leisure centre, BBC reporter Peter Whittlesea said: "In Crawley, results have historically been tight. So the atmosphere at the count has the air of a local football derby, with candidates and supporters desperate for their team to win."

Twelve seats were contested on Crawley Borough Council, but Labour kept control of the authority and gained five seats. Labour now have 25 and the Conservatives have 11.

With a general election expected this year, the local vote was being seen as a crucial test for the government.

There were elections in 107 local authorities across England, as well as 11 mayoral races.

Early results nationally saw Labour win key councils and regional mayors across England, with the Conservatives losing four councils and more than 300 councillors by Friday evening.

Votes are still being counted in many areas, with final declarations not expected until Sunday.