Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio CWR

North Warwickshire is seen as a key battleground in the local elections. It's been under Conservative control since 2015 but it was Labour before that.

In fact the council has flipped between Labour, no overall control and the Conservatives repeatedly over the past 20 years.

So it's an intriguing election.

All 35 seats are up for grabs and the current breakdown is 22 Conservatives, 11 Labour and one independent. There is also one vacant seat.

Eighteen is the magic number needed for overall control so Labour would need to gain seven seats to achieve that.

In most areas of North Warwickshire it is a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives with a handful of independent candidates standing in some wards, as well as the Green Party and the Heritage Party.

BBC Politics

Ahead of this election, the BBC headed to one area which could prove key for the main political parties in this election, North Warwickshire, a largely rural area dotted with towns and villages.

The borough council has been controlled by the Conservatives since 2015 and elects all of its councillors once every four years, with 35 seats up for grabs - so 18 is the number needed to take control.

The last time all the seats were contested was in 2019 - when Theresa May led the Conservative party and Jeremy Corbyn the Labour party. Locally, the Tories won 21 and Labour won 14 back then and while there have been some by-elections since, the Conservatives have retained control of the council.

But it's one Labour has controlled in the past and the party is hoping to gain ground.

When the BBC spoke to people in the town in April, the cost of living crisis, the NHS, leisure facilities and traffic were among the main issues people raised and you can read more here.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio CWR

Labour remain in control of Coventry City Council, but group leader George Duggins said he was disappointed the party lost a seat to the Greens.

He admitted Labour did not make the gains it wanted as they ended up with 35 councillors and called it a "mixed bag" overall given it did not make up more ground.

"We've already got results in Coventry over a long period of time which put us in advance, probably of the Labour Party generally, nationally," he added.

The Conservatives hung on to the four seats they were defending and leader Gary Ridley said he was pleased.

"The red wave did not materialise and for me that says the Conservatives in Coventry are in strong shape," he added.

The Green Party made the only gain of the night as it moved to two councillors on the authority and Mr Ridley said it was not bad news to him.

"I welcome the fact that we've got another political party on the council and I work constructively with the Greens," he said.

The party takes 38 of the 54 council seats while the Tories see their total drop into single digits.

Rob Trigg
BBC Shropshire

The Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Council has just seen his party have its best-ever election result.

The final counts have now been completed and Shaun Davies's party now holds 38 of the 54 seats on the local authority, while the Conservatives have dropped from 13 seats to eight.

Mr Davies said his party had fought a "positive campaign" and praised his party leader, Keir Starmer, for "transforming the Labour Party".

Rob Trigg
BBC Shropshire

The last overnight count is almost complete and Labour has strengthened its grip on Telford and Wrekin Council.

With two seats left to declare the party now has 38 councillors, an increase of two, compared with the 2019 election.

The Conservatives currently have seven seats.

One of the seats taken by Labour was the Ercall, which the party has never held before.

Thomas Janke was one of six Liberal Democrats to be elected, an increase on their 2019 total of four.

He said some councillors had "rested on their laurels", while his party had worked hard for votes.

Mr Janke also said he believed the Conservative vote had collapsed across the country because people were "fed up with the government".

Allen Cook
BBC News

If you are just waking up or joining us and want to know the results from the overnight local election counts in the West Midlands:

• Labour is back in control of Stoke-on-Trent City Council after winning the 23 seats they needed to take it from the Conservatives
• The Conservatives suffered a disastrous night in Worcester as Labour became the largest party on the city council for the first time in 23 years
• The Conservatives also lost control of Tamworth Council, which went to no overall control
• In Coventry, Labour kept control but lost a seat to the Green Party who doubled their total number of councillors
• Labour remained defiant in Dudley despite a disappointing night that saw the party gain just two seats.
• In Redditch, Labour increased their number of councillors to 13, but the Conservatives remain in power with 16
• In Sandwell, Labour councillors remain in control and added three more seats

There are another 18 councils in the region yet to declare their results with some expected from midday and others towards 18:00 BST - stay with us as the day unfolds.

Labour have taken control of councils including Stoke-on-Trent overnight while the Tories lost control of authorities including Tamworth as counting continues in England.

The majority of results will not be confirmed until later on Friday.

Jonathan Sutton
Local Democracy Reporter

The collapse of the independent vote in Stoke-on-Trent hurt the Conservative Party, according to one of the city's Tory MPs.

Labour took control of the authority for the first time since 2015 by reaching the necessary 23 seats, largely with gains from independents.

Stoke-on-Trent South Conservative MP Jack Brereton (pictured, right) said it was a tough night for his party and the independents have collapsed.

"This is ultimately the challenge in who’s going to run the council because previously those independents have held the balance of power," he said.

There has been little change at Coventry City Council, with Labour still in control.

We said Labour held onto control of Sandwell Council and they finished the night with a majority of 48 despite the loss of two seats.

The two seats were gained by the Conservative Party who pushed their total up to 12 and are the only other party on the authority with councillors.

Baroness Anderson says "people have come back to Labour" as Stoke-on-Trent Council changes hands.

Rob Trigg
BBC Shropshire

It has been a bad night so far for the Conservative Party in Telford and Wrekin as both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have won a seat each off them.

Labour won the Ercall ward for the first time ever while the Lib Dems took Admaston and Bratton.

Tory group leader Andrew Eade has won their only seat so far.

Rhi Storer
Local Democracy Reporter for the West Midlands

The Labour opposition leader at Dudley Council has defended not taking more seats in these elections.

With most results declared and only a third of seats contested this year, the Tories have kept control of the authority, gained a seat from Labour and lost two to them.

Qadar Zada said: "We've gained two seats tonight, and we've cut the wafer thin majorities of Tory councillors down. I've always said by 2024 Dudley will be run by Labour."

Image source, LDRS

Elizabeth Glinka
Political Editor, BBC Midlands

People in Stoke-on-Trent have come home to the Labour Party, according to a former MP for the city.

Baroness Anderson lost the Stoke North constituency in 2019 but welcomed the party's success this month as they took control of the city council.

Labour took several seats off independents and passed the 23 seats they needed to wrest control from the Tories.

"The Conservative Party had betrayed them - that's what we were getting on the doors," Baroness Anderson said.

She said there was still a "huge amount of work to do for the general election" but added: "From tomorrow, my city is red."

"Tonight is the first stepping stone to taking my city," she said.

Elizabeth Glinka
Political Editor, BBC Midlands

Labour has won control of Stoke-on-Trent City Council after the Conservative Party went into this month's election running it.

Labour were last in charge in the city in 2015 and had targeted the council as a key authority to win.

They hit the 23-seat mark they needed for control in the last few minutes and it will be seen as a big win for Keir Starmer.

James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester

The leader of the Green Party in Worcester says she is "ecstatic" at their results in the local elections in the city.

They took four seats and became the second largest group on the authority, behind Labour.

"I'm just so pleased and so proud of all our wonderful candidates," Majory Bisset said.

She put their success down to her party's hard work and also "the Conservatives not being very popular at the moment".

"They've made a complete hash of running this country for the last 12 years."

Rob Trigg
BBC Shropshire

The Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies, has won his seat of Malinslee and Dawley Bank, alongside his wife Elise.

His former ward colleague Baron Sahota of Telford didn’t stand this year so he can focus on his work in the House of Lords.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio CWR

The Green Party have their second ever councillor in Coventry.

Their first came last year and this time Esther Reeves (pictured, right) won her seat by 79 votes which means the Greens will be a group on the council for the first time ever.

The Conservative Party could face a tough job in Worcester in the general election after a terrible night in the city council elections, their ousted leader said.

Chris Mitchell was among the Tories to lose their seats as they lost every one they were defending as the council remained under no overall control.

When asked by the BBC if the defeat tonight was a red flag for the Conservatives in the next General Election, Mr Mitchell pointed out the Worcester seat was “relatively marginal”.

“Whoever the next candidate will be knows they’ve got a tough job on their hands,” he said.

He added candidates tried to keep it about local issues in during their campaign and while speaking to voters on their doorsteps.

“We don’t influence what goes on in the National Health Service or things like that but residents kept going back to national issues,” he said.