Summary

  • The Conservative Party has lost control of Buckinghamshire Council and Hertfordshire County Council

  • Voting took place for 97 seats at Buckinghamshire Council and all 78 seats at Hertfordshire County Council on Thursday

  • Counts are taking place in Aylesbury, and across Herts

  • The unitary Bucks Council replaced the county and district councils in 2020 and its first set of elections in 2021 gave the Conservatives a huge majority

  • After gains for Reform UK, the Lib Dems and Greens, the Conservatives have lost control of Hertfordshire County Council

  • The Tories had been in charge at Herts since 1999

Live Reporting

By Amy Holmes, Alex Pope and Neve Gordon-Farleigh. Edited by Andrew Woodger

  1. A 'challenging night', says Conservative MP

    Lewis Cocking (left) and Alexander Curtis standing in front of a raised platform in a sports hall. Cocking is wearing a blue suit and tie. Curtis is wearing a blue jacket and light brown/cream trousers and no tie. Both are giving a thumbs-up.John Kaye/BBC

    Lewis Cocking (left) with victorious colleague Alexander Curtis, who won in Hoddesdon North

    The Conservative MP for Broxbourne, Lewis Cocking, himself a former Hertfordshire county councillor, was at the count that has seen two Reform UK councillors gain seats that had been Tory.

    "It has been a very challenging night for the Conservatives in Broxbourne, but I am really pleased that we have managed to hold on to four divisions," said Cocking.

    "We have got a lot of work to do to win back the trust of the British people, and me as the local MP and our Conservative councillors will doing that day in, day out, to win that trust back."

    Reform UK won its seats in Flamstead End & Turnford and Goffs Oak & Bury Green.

    The Conservatives held on to four seats in Cheshunt Central, Hoddesdon North, Hoddesdon South and Waltham Cross.

  2. What is being decided in this election in Buckinghamshire?

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Three Counties

    Voters in Buckinghamshire have had the chance to elect 97 councillors this time, following a Boundary Commission review that has seen the number of seats reduced from 147 in the 49 different wards. Previously there have been three councillors in each ward, but now there will be a mixture of two, three and one.

    A picture of Wendover high street in Buckinghamshire. There is a road with shops alongside it and a lorry driving up the road towards the camera. On the left there is a clock tower.Amy Holmes/BBC

    Wendover is one of the towns served solely by Buckinghamshire Council, whereas previously it had services provided by the the now-defunct county council and Aylesbury Vale District Council

    The unitary authority, which covers a population of about 550,000 people, was set up in 2020, following the decision to replace the old county council and four district councils that covered Aylesbury Vale, High Wycombe, Chiltern, and South Bucks.It provides all local council services in Buckinghamshire, apart from Milton Keynes, which already had its own unitary council.In local government, the Conservatives have always been in control, both of the county council from 1974 and the new Bucks Council which held its first elections in 2021.

  3. Results will be coming in gradually across the day

    Counting for Hertfordshire County Council is taking place at various sites across the county.

    Election staff have done their counting in Broxbourne, with counts also taking place in Hemel Hempstead, Ware, Elstree, Letchworth Garden City, St Albans, Stevenage, Rickmansworth, Watford and Welwyn Garden City, so it could be well after lunchtime before we know who will be in control of the council.

    A graphic showing the latest position of seats declared in the Hertfordshire County Council elections and which party has won/lost seats..

    Counting for Buckinghamshire Council is taking place in one venue with full results not expected until the early evening.

  4. What is being decided in this election in Hertfordshire?

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Three Counties

    Hertfordshire has been voting in 78 county councillors to represent a county that has a population of 1.2 million.

    There are 78 wards, each with one councillor, unlike some other set-ups where wards have more than one councillor.

    There’s a chance this previously Conservative authority could end up with no single party in overall control, but any victories for their opponents might be short-lived with discussions about replacing the county council well advanced.

    A picture of a sign in Hemel Hempstead that says "Welcome to Hemel Hempstead Town Centre" on it. Behind it is a row of shops that are part of the Marlowes shopping centreAmy Holmes/BBC

    Hemel Hempstead is one of the larger towns in Hertfordshire

    All the councils, both district and county, and the police and crime commissioner have agreed on a joint interim proposal outlining a restructure which could see the two-tier structure replaced by between one and four unitary councils, which provide all the council services in their area.

    In other words, doing what our some other counties, such as neighbouring Bedfordshire, have been doing for a while now.

    Those councils aren't yet agreed on the best model for this, hence why plans are still a bit vague, but they must submit a final proposal to the government by 28 November.

  5. Early results mirror Reform UK win in Commons by-election

    Nigel Farage and Sarah Pochin smiling at an election countPhil Noble/Reuters

    Reform UK's new MP Sarah Pochin with her party leader Nigel Farage

    Those two gains on Hertfordshire County Council reflect national trends as Reform UK now has another MP in the House of Commons.

    Sarah Pochin overturned a large Labour majority in Runcorn & Helsby in Cheshire.

    You can follow the BBC's national live page here, and read Sir John Curtice's political analysis here.

  6. Early success for Reform UK

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Three Counties

    A picture of Anthony Owen, a Reform UK councillor in Hertfordshire. He is wearing a dark suit and a Reform UK rosette, has brown shoes and is giving the camera the thumbs up.Jon Kaye/BBC

    Anthony Owen is one of two new Reform UK Hertfordshire County Council councillors after early counts in the Broxbourne area

    The first set of results are in from the Hertfordshire County Council count in Broxbourne with six seats declared - and it's been a positive start for Reform UK.

    The party has gained two seats from the Conservatives, with wins for Tony Hill in Flamstead End & Turnford and Anthony Owen in Goffs Oak & Bury Green.

    The Conservatives held on to the other four seats in the Broxbourne area.

    Counts are taking place at various locations across Hertfordshire.

  7. Welcome to our live page as election counts are under way

    Voters went to the polling booths on Thursday for the local council elections.

    All 97 seats at Buckinghamshire Council have been up for grabs, as well as all 78 seats at Hertfordshire County Council.

    We'll be bringing you the results as they come in... and reaction.

    Counting for the unitary Bucks Council is taking place at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, while votes are being counted at various locations across Herts.

    There have been no elections for Milton Keynes City Council this year, and no elections for the district councils in Hertfordshire.