James Aldred
BBC News

The final results have been declared in Nuneaton and Bedworth and the Conservative Party have tightened their control of the council.

Of the 17 seats being contested at this election, the Tories won 12 including one gain while Labour held four seat, losing two.

The result means the Conservatives now have a majority of 20.

The Green Party made one gain which means they now have two councillors on the authority.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio CWR

Two seats declared and Labour have guaranteed their control of Coventry City Council by holding both.

I said it would be quite a challenge for the Conservatives to loosen their grip because Labour went into the election with 14 more councillors than the Tories and 26 of their total were not up for grabs.

However there are still 16 seats to declare and we will be keeping a close eye to see if those bin strikes have harmed Labour's overall majority.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio CWR

I'm in Coventry for the city council count where one of the biggest issues in recent months has been bins.

Image source, Coventry City Council

Bin lorry drivers have been striking over pay and conditions here since January and the row between the Labour-run council and the union Unite has become increasingly messy.

It has resulted in the union pulling funding for local Labour candidates so it will be interesting to see if that has an impact. But Labour are unlikely to be too concerned.

The party has a firm grip on the council here and the opposition Conservatives would need to gain 13 seats from Labour to take control.

That would be quite a challenge with just 14 Labour seats up for grabs at this election.

Results for the elections in Coventry will be announced in the early hours of Friday with all results expected by 05:00.

Tom Edwards
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Redditch Council has been held by the Conservatives after they held two of their seats in early declarations at the count.

The Tories only needed 17 for a majority and, with 16 of their seats not being contested at this election, have moved quickly back into control.

However the Conservative leader, Matt Dormer, said success would be holding what they have got. “It hasn’t been too great on the doorsteps, to be honest. It’s been tough," he told me.

Labour have held two seats out of the four declared.

James Aldred
BBC News

The Conservative Party have held on to Nuneaton and Bedworth Council where they look to be having a good night.

The Tories gained the authority last year when they added 10 seats and, with 17 up for grabs tonight, they have won seven so far to ease into a majority, with several seats yet to be declared.

As well as holding seats in Arbury, Bulkington and Bar Pool, they gained Bede from Labour who secured two seats.

The Green Party have also made a gain, taking Weddington, to add to the one councillor they already had on the authority.

James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester

Counting is only just starting here in Worcester but Tory leader Marc Bayliss has effectively thrown in the towel and is heading home.

Image source, Worcester City Council

He told me he expects his party to have lost several seats tonight and said the people have "given their verdict on the government".

Mr Bayliss told me Partygate - gatherings held in and around Downing Street during Covid lockdowns - has been the main national issue.

He added the public had judged the government's performance and "they have found it wanting".

"I think it is fair to say we are having a bad night."

Joan Cummins
Midlands Today reporter

They’re small, they’re perfectly formed and they play a starring role in election counts everywhere.

Some call them thimbles, some talk of cones and others refer to them as "thimbelettes" …they’re the little universal rubber socks that go across the accurate forefingers.

Sandwell Council packed the Tipton Sports academy to see democracy in action as the polls started to close and the counters came through the door.

They had all been supplied with the rules of engagement for the night and their trusty finger cones designed to ease the pressure of manually counting the ballot papers.

With a potential eligible electorate of 233,000 the army of 250 counters can choose to use the rubber finger protectors.

Interestingly some cast them aside on their desks but across the wards a rainbow of rubber protectors can be seen furiously flicking back and forth making sure the vote is just right.

James Pearson
Political reporter, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester

There is a feeling of change in the air tonight in Worcester and an expectation that the city council could slip back into no overall control. Just how many Conservative voters have come out today could be key.

Image source, Worcester City Council

The Tories have been in control here since an exceptional election last May when three gains at the expense of Labour gave them a majority of one.

Labour say the reception on the door today has been “warm” and a million miles from the mood of 2021.

Meanwhile the Greens are hoping this election will be a game changer as, unlike in previous ones, they are hoping to capture multiple seats this time.

Worcester has been seen as a bellwether seat in general elections since the 1980s. The way Worcester votes, the country votes.

Here are some of the key contests to look out for tonight in the West Midlands - be aware, low turnouts in some areas could mean results come through more quickly than expected.

Tamworth: The Conservative majority is unassailable. Last year they won every ward. If they did so again, Labour would be reduced to a single seat.

Estimated result declaration: 02:00

Worcester: The Conservatives eked out a majority of one last year. There are a couple of Labour seats in their targets this year but they also have to defend in Claines against the Lib Dems. So it could slip into hung territory again.

Estimated result declaration: 02:00

Redditch: Labour won here in 2016 but the Conservatives captured the council in 2018, when boundaries changed, and last year became almost completely dominant. A repeat performance would see Labour reduced to a single seat so, clearly, they'll be looking to turn the tide.

Estimated result declaration: 02:30

Sandwell: Labour's majority is unassailable. However, the government said in January it was minded to appoint commissioners to run the council after a series of misconduct allegations. Keir Starmer has also said there needs to be change at the council.

Estimated result declaration: 03:00

Wolverhampton: This is almost a straight Lab v Con battle, and last year the Conservatives made five gains, following on from their strong showing at the general election. Labour's majority isn't in doubt but they will want to prevent a repeat performance.

Estimated result declaration: 03:30

Image source, City of Wolverhampton Council

Nuneaton and Bedworth: A Conservative gain last year when they added 10 seats. If they do anywhere near as well they'll add more seats this year. It's hard to see how Labour make any progress.

Estimated result declaration: 04:00

Dudley: A very strong performance by the Conservatives last year saw them take control for the first time in a decade. If they can get anywhere close to repeating the performance they will strengthen their grip on the council.

Estimated result declaration: 04:30

Coventry: Labour will win another comfortable majority but Keir Starmer may have made things harder for the party after he was accused of sniggering about Coventry in an interview about the city's bin strike and union funding.

Estimated result declaration: 05:00

We have journalists at counts across the West Midlands and while waiting for results to be declared, thoughts have been known to turn to the snacks on offer.

Well, the early shots came from Local Democracy Reporter Rhi Storer at Sandwell who reckoned the council had put on a "pretty good" spread:

But firing back from the count at Worcester, BBC Midlands Today's Ben Sidwell reckoned "we may have the best spread":

Eight councils are expected to declare their results tonight in the West Midlands with a further six counting during the day on Friday.

We have rough estimated declaration times for those authorities which is when we expect to be able to tell if control of the councils has changed or if one party has strengthened their grip or suffered losses.

Tonight:

• Tamworth - estimated result declaration: 02:00
• Worcester - estimated result declaration: 02:00
• Redditch - estimated result declaration: 02:30
• Sandwell - estimated result declaration: 03:00
• Wolverhampton - estimated result declaration: 03:30
• Nuneaton and Bedworth - estimated result declaration: 04:00
• Dudley - estimated result declaration: 04:30
• Coventry - estimated result declaration: 05:00

On Friday:

• Solihull - estimated result declaration: 13:00
• Cannock Chase - estimated result declaration: 13:00
• Walsall - estimated result declaration: 13:30
• Rugby - estimated result declaration: 16:00
• Newcastle-under-Lyme - estimated result declaration: 17:30
• Birmingham - estimated result declaration: 18:00

Good morning, the polls closed a couple of hours ago and counting is either under way or soon to get under way for eight of our local councils who are expected to declared their results overnight.

We will be bringing you some of the colour from those counts, the results as they come in, reaction from councillors and our reporters and analysis of what these results mean for the political parties involved.

Grab that extra cuppa and stay with us!