Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby

Conservative leaders in Derbyshire are strikingly downbeat and now predict that for them, today’s results will be “a bloodbath”.

It’s early days, but one predicts they will end up with a mere “scattering” of seats across the county and “far behind” Reform UK, who many now expect to take overall control of the council.

That would be a pretty extraordinary fall from the thumping majority they enjoyed up until now.

Certainly, the smiles among the Reform candidates here in Dronfield in North East Derbyshire are pretty telling.

Eddie Bisknell
Local Democracy Reporting Service

I'm in Swadlincote for the South Derbyshire section of the 2025 Derbyshire County Council elections.

Image source, LDRS

Talk on the ground is that Reform UK may gain a major number of councillors and even gain control of the whole council.

Some seats may buck the general trend where there are standout independent councillors Time will tell.

Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby

I mentioned the fight that the current Conservative leader of Derbyshire County Council is facing on different fronts.

But he isn’t the only party leader in Derbyshire who’ll be feeling the heat this afternoon.

The prime minister launched Labour’s campaign in Bolsover, but it is here where a cluster of Labour councillors and their local leader are facing among the strongest Reform challenges in the county.

Image source, PA Media

Labour in Bolsover have also had some internal fallouts that won’t have helped morale.

The party is starting from a pretty low base in Derbyshire, having gained just 14 seats four years ago, so we really should be seeing the party make gains more broadly.

But a loss for the party’s local leader Joan Dixon in Bolsover would be a particular low point.

It’s worth remembering the party has just gained the constituency seat back from the Conservatives, who famously dethroned the ‘Beast of Bolsover’, former Labour MP Dennis Skinner, at 2019’s General Election.

Failure here will suggest what is often framed as one of England’s symbolic ‘Red Wall’ areas is seemingly slipping away from the party yet again.

Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby

The runaway success Reform seem to be having in neighbouring Staffordshire has been the wake-up call in Derbyshire amongst Labour and the Conservatives that they certainly wouldn’t have wanted this morning.

Official counting has only just started but the early indications are that Reform have outperformed expectations.

Reform were always feeling very good about their chances here, but this morning – pre-count – there are already big smiles and celebratory photos being taken, like this one with South Derbyshire candidates this morning.

Image source, Reform UK

There is talk that Reform have even taken a decent chunk out of normally True Blue territory like the Derbyshire Dales.

The Conservative leader of the council in North East Derbyshire, where the talk is Reform will also be strong, will be feeling the pressure.

One senior Conservative says they now expect Reform have a very decent chance of taking the council outright here.

Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby

Where I am in North East Derbyshire, lots of eyes will be on the Conservative leader and current leader of the council, Barry Lewis.

He is standing in Shirland and Wingerworth South, and faces a fight on several different fronts.

For one, there’s a challenge from a Green candidate who’s well-known locally.

The Greens came second last time they contested the ward four years ago, and think they have a good shot this time with less energised support for the Conservatives clearing the way.

But a lot’s changed since 2021 – Reform also have their eye on dethroning the leader.

There’s a lot of sympathy for the party’s national messages on immigration in the area (even though it’s one of those issues that technically isn’t on the ballot paper).

Finally, a newly formed local independent group is fielding a candidate who’s also a familiar face to locals.

Both the Reform and Independent candidates are former Conservative councillors.

It’s perhaps a reflection of the tricky spot the Conservatives find themselves in nationally that their leader in Derbyshire faces shedding support in these very different directions.

George Torr
BBC News, Derby

Data crunchers at Derbyshire County Council have just told me turnout across the county is 36.2% - down from 39% on the 2021 election.

Here's a breakdown of turnout by district/borough:

• Derbyshire Dales - 44.6%
• High Peak - 41%
• Amber Valley - 37%
• North East Derbyshire - 36.6%
• Erewash - 35%

• Chesterfield - 33.7%
• Bolsover - 32%
• South Derbyshire - 31.4%

George Torr
BBC News, Derby

We have our first results of the day - for three by-elections on Erewash Borough Council.

Cotmanhay - Reform gain from Labour

Nottingham Road - Conservatives gain from Labour

Kirk Hallam and Stanton by-Dale - Conservatives gain from Labour

Derbyshire County Council's count started at 12:00 BST so we'll be waiting a little while for those.

Image source, Erewash Borough Council

Isaac Ashe
BBC News, East Midlands

The county went to the polls yesterday to determine the fate of 353 candidates.

The voting came to a close at 22:00 on Thursday - but unlike a general election there were no late night scenes of ballot boxes being hurried out of the polling stations and into the counts.

Instead of burning the midnight oil, vote counting began at each of the eight districts and boroughs of Derbyshire at about noon today - good news for people who value their beauty sleep, less welcome for all those candidates nervously waiting on the results.

Depending on the turnouts, there might not now be too much of a wait to find out the first results in some divisions.

Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby

If you had asked Labour in Derbyshire this time last year whether they would take the county council from the Conservatives, who’ve overseen things here for eight years, they would’ve sounded confident about victory.

That feeling was vindicated after the General Election in July, where the Conservatives in Derbyshire were totally wiped out by an influx of new Labour MPs.

But the mood music has changed.

One Labour MP told me recently that they had been “naive” about the scale of the difficulty here.

The party only gained 14 seats on the council four years ago, so they really should be making gains – but whether they can win control, with Reform looming large over almost all of Derbyshire’s various contests is another matter.

Image source, PA Media

Most people who are bold enough to make a prediction say that No Overall Control is the most likely outcome.

But like elsewhere, lots of factors make these results particularly unpredictable.

It is the Conservatives who currently have the most councillors and therefore the most to lose in Derbyshire.

But the fact that Labour’s confidence here has shifted so drastically is just as important a story.

Matthew Barlow
BBC News, Derby

This is the scene at the Arc Leisure Centre in Clowne, one of several locations where votes are being counted.

Isaac Ashe
BBC News, East Midlands

There are 64 seats on Derbyshire County Council up for grabs - and three parties are fighting for every one of them.

The Conservatives, Labour and Reform UK have candidates in every ward.

The Liberal Democrats are contesting 56 of the areas while the Greens are close behind them fielding 52 candidates.

Also among the candidates county-wide are 36 independents, six members of Chesterfield Independents, six members of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, two members of Belper Independents, one National Front member and one Homeland Party member.

Councillors are being elected in 64 wards across Derbyshire - a slight increase from the previous total of 61 wards.

A list of candidates for each ward can be found on the county council website, external.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC's live coverage of Derbyshire's county council election results.

We'll keep you updated throughout the day as the results come in.