Conservatives have lost the first two wards announced in
Portsmouth.
Cosham went to Labour and Paulsgrove went to an independent.
It
looks like the Conservatives will lose another ward as well which means the
council remains in no overall control, run by the Liberal Democrats who are
expecting to pick up one more ward.
Lots of unhappy Conservatives who blame
Boris Johnson for their problems.
Prior to Thursday's election the Conservatives had 17 seats on the council and the Liberal Democrats had 15.
'Boris will have to go' says Tory in Portsmouth
Peter Henley
Political editor, South of England
BBCCopyright: BBC
Some
grim Conservative faces in Portsmouth. “A bloodbath” the verdict of one senior
Tory here. “Boris will have to go.”
Labour
are expecting to do better than Lib Dems. They’re the challenger in more of the
wards held by Conservatives. Many are in cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt’s
Portsmouth North constituency.
North
West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse says Conservatives are facing heavy losses.
“It’s been tricky, hard. I’m preparing myself for a thumping”
Counting is under way in Witney where the results of the West
Oxfordshire District Council elections will be revealed.
Sixteen seats are up for
election, a third of the seats on the council.
Despite this being a long held Conservative council, it’s
become something of a target seat for the Liberal Democrats who are hoping to
give the Conservatives a run in several wards. They have a five year plan – and
this is year five.
If the Conservatives lose three seats they would no longer
have a majority.
West Oxfordshire Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Andy
Graham says he’s "not a betting man, but it’s definite" they’ll lose control of
the council.
The Conservatives say that a good result for them would be
holding the council and that they’ve worked "incredibly hard".
Labour gained county councillors in this area in elections
last year and it seems they’ve got their eyes on district council seats in
Chipping Norton and Witney. Deputy leader of the Labour Group, Duncan Enright,
says they’re "hopeful".
What do local councils do?
BBCCopyright: BBC
Local councils are responsible for providing many of our public services.
For example: providing care for the elderly and disabled, fixing potholes on some roads, collecting rubbish, providing libraries and dealing with planning applications.
They are funded by a variety of sources, including council tax, government grants and other income, like parking charges.
The first are responsible for all local services, from roads and parks to schools and social care, and have all the necessary powers to deliver them.
District councils' responsibilities include bin collections, parks and local planning while county councils are responsible for providing services such as schools, libraries and road maintenance.
'Southampton is close'
Emily Hudson
BBC Radio Solent, Hants and IoW political reporter
Southampton is close.
The Conservatives took control of the
council last year, after nine years of Labour control. But they only have a
majority of one.
The Conservatives are proud of the work they’ve done to fix
potholes and increase parking spaces on some of the city’s residential estates.
But there is some concern from the leader Daniel Fitzhenry about
disillusionment with politicians after Partygate. Labour are hopeful, rather
than confident.
One other interesting point, the Liberal Democrats and
Greens have come together “for the planet” in their words.
They’ve stood down
in some wards and asked voters to support the other candidate. The city has
never had a Green councillor and it’s been more than ten years since a Liberal
Democrat was elected here.
Live Reporting
Maria Zaccaro, Dan Kerins and Nathan Briant
All times stated are UK
BreakingLabour make first gain in Southampton
Emily Hudson
BBC Radio Solent, Hants and IoW political reporter
Labour have won a seat from the Conservatives in Southampton.
Remember the Conservative controlling party only had a majority of one going into tonight.
Many wards still to declare so this isn’t decisive but interesting.
Especially when you consider Labour hasn’t had a councillor in leafy Bitterne Park since the wards were created in 2002.
The Labour gain means that Conservative councillor Rob Harwood - who was cabinet member for customer service and transformation - has lost his seat.
Oxford leader holds her seat
The Labour leader of Oxford City Council Susan Brown has kept her seat.
Our reporter Matt Graveling is at the count and tells us that seven wards have been declared so far and they are all holds.
Labour held five seats, the Green Party one and the Lib Dem one.
Tories hold Fareham
BreakingPortsmouth remains no overall control
Greens gain Conservative seats in West Ox
Claire Starr
BBC Radio Oxford - Political Reporter
First result from West Oxfordshire District Council - Brize Norton and Shilton Green gain from Conservative by 62 votes.
The Vice-Chair of the council has lost his seat. It was a Green vs Tory vote, no other parties in that ward.
Whispers that the Tories could lose overall control of the council.
First results announced in Oxford
First results have been announced in Oxford.
The Green Party won St Mary's ward while the Labour Party won Holywell ward.
All systems go in West Oxfordshire
Fareham council leader holds seat
Fareham Borough Council leader Seán Woodward has held his seat.
The Conservatives have also been elected in a few other wards including Park Gate, Fareham West, Locks Heat and Portchester West.
Counting underway in Oxford
Counting is underway in Oxford too.
The city council is a district council which is responsible for running services such as planning, leisure and waste collection.
It covers a population of more than 150,000 and has a total of 48 councillors.
Of those, 34 are ruling Labour councillors, nine are Liberal Democrats, three are from the Green Group and two are independent.
Half the council is elected every two years, with 24 seats up for election this year.
First Sotonian results are in
First two results are in for Southampton, with Labour holding both.
Sarah Bogle and Lorna Fielker have both been elected in the Bargate and Swaythling wards, respectively.
BreakingConservatives hold Rushmoor
We have some results already!
The Conservatives have retained control of Rushmoor Borough Council.
The authority covers an area including Aldershot and Farnborough and has a population of about 95,000.
Counting begins in Hart
First results announced in Eastleigh
The first results have been announced in Eastleigh.
Liberal Democrats Councillor Tonia Craig holds her Bursledon & Hound North seat.
Turnout figures have also been announced and the overall turnout for the borough of Eastleigh is 35.1%.
BreakingTories lose wards in Portsmouth
Peter Henley
Political editor, South of England
Conservatives have lost the first two wards announced in Portsmouth.
Cosham went to Labour and Paulsgrove went to an independent.
It looks like the Conservatives will lose another ward as well which means the council remains in no overall control, run by the Liberal Democrats who are expecting to pick up one more ward.
Lots of unhappy Conservatives who blame Boris Johnson for their problems.
Prior to Thursday's election the Conservatives had 17 seats on the council and the Liberal Democrats had 15.
'Boris will have to go' says Tory in Portsmouth
Peter Henley
Political editor, South of England
Some grim Conservative faces in Portsmouth. “A bloodbath” the verdict of one senior Tory here. “Boris will have to go.”
Labour are expecting to do better than Lib Dems. They’re the challenger in more of the wards held by Conservatives. Many are in cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt’s Portsmouth North constituency.
North West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse says Conservatives are facing heavy losses. “It’s been tricky, hard. I’m preparing myself for a thumping”
As reported earlier, there are also some nervous Conservatives in along the M27 in Southampton.
Counting underway in Witney
Claire Starr
BBC Radio Oxford - Political Reporter
Counting is under way in Witney where the results of the West Oxfordshire District Council elections will be revealed.
Sixteen seats are up for election, a third of the seats on the council.
Despite this being a long held Conservative council, it’s become something of a target seat for the Liberal Democrats who are hoping to give the Conservatives a run in several wards. They have a five year plan – and this is year five.
If the Conservatives lose three seats they would no longer have a majority.
West Oxfordshire Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Andy Graham says he’s "not a betting man, but it’s definite" they’ll lose control of the council.
The Conservatives say that a good result for them would be holding the council and that they’ve worked "incredibly hard".
Labour gained county councillors in this area in elections last year and it seems they’ve got their eyes on district council seats in Chipping Norton and Witney. Deputy leader of the Labour Group, Duncan Enright, says they’re "hopeful".
What do local councils do?
Local councils are responsible for providing many of our public services.
For example: providing care for the elderly and disabled, fixing potholes on some roads, collecting rubbish, providing libraries and dealing with planning applications.
They are funded by a variety of sources, including council tax, government grants and other income, like parking charges.
There are different types of councils including unitary authorities, district and county councils.
The first are responsible for all local services, from roads and parks to schools and social care, and have all the necessary powers to deliver them.
District councils' responsibilities include bin collections, parks and local planning while county councils are responsible for providing services such as schools, libraries and road maintenance.
'Southampton is close'
Emily Hudson
BBC Radio Solent, Hants and IoW political reporter
Southampton is close.
The Conservatives took control of the council last year, after nine years of Labour control. But they only have a majority of one.
The Conservatives are proud of the work they’ve done to fix potholes and increase parking spaces on some of the city’s residential estates.
But there is some concern from the leader Daniel Fitzhenry about disillusionment with politicians after Partygate. Labour are hopeful, rather than confident.
One other interesting point, the Liberal Democrats and Greens have come together “for the planet” in their words.
They’ve stood down in some wards and asked voters to support the other candidate. The city has never had a Green councillor and it’s been more than ten years since a Liberal Democrat was elected here.
What's up for election?
Local elections are happening across the UK, with thousands of seats up for grabs.
In the South, these are the councils that held elections on Thursday:
Good morning
Good morning,
We're up and running to bring you live coverage of the overnight election counts across Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
We've got reporters at key counts, so grab a cup of tea and settle in for a night of results and reaction.