Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Conservative Ben Adams has been elected Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) in Staffordshire.

He gained 56% of the vote as the party retained the post.

PFCCs are elected representatives who work to ensure police forces and fire services are running effectively.

Initially established as Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), they replaced police authorities in 2012 and were intended to bring a public voice to policing.

The government said they were not there to run local police forces but to hold them to account and respond to the needs of the public.

In Staffordshire, the PCC also took over responsibility for the fire service in 2018.

Matthew Ellis, elected last time around, announced he would step down and fellow Tory Ben Adams takes over.

The overall number of the Army's tanks will be cut from 227 as the Challenger 2 tanks are replaced.

A High Court judge backs a council policy that stallholders said would threaten their livelihoods.

The Tories take control of Dudley Council and also take their first seats in Sandwell for six years.

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

We’re waiting for the full results for the first round of voting for Staffordshire's Police Fire and Crime Commissioner

But if the East Staffordshire results are anything to go by, we might not have to go to the second round.

The Conservative candidate Ben Adams has 14,480 votes in East Staffordshire.

His next nearest challenger, Labour’s Tony Kearon, has 7,886.

There were also 3,012 votes cast there for Independent Deneice Florence-Jukes and 1,188 for Lib Dem Richard Whelan.

The Reform UK candidate Michael Riley got 607.

But these are just the votes for East Staffordshire, not the whole county, so that picture could still change.

Giving evidence, a witness says he saw Dalian Atkinson kicked "like you'd kick a football".

Monica Rimmer
BBC News

A lot has happened since 06:00 this morning, so let's run you through the big stories of the day so far:

• The first council to declare was in Redditch - there the Conservatives took all the contested seats - something council leader Matt Dormer said he was "ecstatic" about. His opponent, Bill Hartnett, said he felt people had voted on national issues.

• The Conservatives also took control of Nuneaton and Bedworth council - the first time they've been in full control since the 2008 election. As you can see, they were pretty happy about that...

• It was also a good night for the Tories in Dudley, who took control of the council - they gained 12 seats and Labour lost 11. Council leader Patrick Harley said it was "a great night for the Conservative party in Dudley". His opposition Qadar Zada said Labour needed to "go away and understand" why the party didn't get support from voters.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the patch earlier and said it was "early days" but there had been a "very encouraging set of results so far".

• Labour kept hold of both Wolverhampton and Sandwell council.

• Over in Worcestershire, the Tories look to be on track in keeping their majority.

• More councils across West Midlands will declare results later today and the West Midlands mayoral results are due on Saturday.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Keri Trigg

A Labour candidate in the Shropshire Council elections says she could have missed out on votes because her name was printed incorrectly on the ballot papers.

Elisabeth Roberts is standing in Harlescott division, which has consistently voted Labour at every election since the council was formed in 2009.

Ms Roberts said she put Lisa on her nomination forms - as a name she is also known as - but did not intend for this to be the name on the ballot papers.

When her name appeared as Lisa on the Statement of Persons Nominated, published four weeks ago, she said she contacted the council multiple times to get it corrected. So she said she was shocked to see it on the ballot papers.

Shropshire Council has been asked to comment.

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Away from the council elections, counting is now starting in the race for Staffordshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Burton Town Hall is the venue for the declaration which will be this afternoon.

Matthew Ellis, Conservative, has held the role since its creation in 2012 - but he is stepping down.

PFCC turnout for this election across the county is 29%.

James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester

Thirteen out of 57 results are in for the Worcestershire County Council elections.

So far the Conservatives are on course to hold on to their majority, but overall they are down one seat on their 2017 performance.

Despite winning a seat from the Independents in Alvechurch, they've lost Malvern Chase to the Lib Dems, and surprisingly Croome to the Greens.

While Labour have been heavily hit, especially in Redditch's district elections, elsewhere the Greens and the Lib Dems have done well.

Bashir Mohamed was found in Ladywood with stab wounds to his arm but later died.

Boris Johnson visited the region on Wednesday to show his support for the region's Conservative mayoral candidate Andy Street.

Mr Johnson joined the current mayor, who is seeking re-election, on one of the region's cycle-for-hire bikes which he said "looked very familiar".

Image source, PA Media

Later that day Sir Keir Starmer was in Birmingham supporting his party's candidate in the mayoral election, Liam Byrne.

He spoke to students and asked them how they'd been coping with the pandemic.

We're not expecting the results of the mayor position until Saturday.

Image source, PA Media

Results of and reaction to council, mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections.

A murder trial hears a PC repeatedly stamped on the head of Dalian Atkinson after Tasering him.

Warwickshire's Rob Yates strikes a fine century but rivals Worcestershire fight back in the County Championship.

Several staff at S&A Produce are affected and the firm has made changes to stop the virus spreading.

Mahmood Sarwar is jailed for perverting the course of justice in connection with a fatal stabbing.

A probation officer says he did not know about an MI5 probe into Usman Khan, who killed two people.

Several members of staff working for Mitie at the hospital caught Covid-19.

People in the area are being warned not to touch dead animals after the discovery.