Yesterday, people in Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and across the Humber region had the opportunitiy to vote for their next police and crime commissioner (PCC).

The results of those elections are due later today and across the weekend, with the South Yorkshire election result expected on Monday.

A PCC is not a serving member of the local force but they are voted for, by the public, to hold the police forces and in some cases fire services to account.

Jacob Tomlinson explains more:

The Independent candidate for the role of North Yorkshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has thanked people for their support after failing to gain enough votes to continue the race.

Image source, KEITH TORDOFF

Keith Tordoff received 22,338 votes, placing him third in the contest to be the region's next police boss.

Labour's Alison Hume and the Conservatives' Philip Allot went on to the second preference votes after no candidate achieved over 50% of votes on first preference.

Mr Tordoff said: "Thank you to everyone who voted and supported me in my campaign as Independent candidate in the election. I leave the process. Onwards and Upwards."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The Labour leader of City of Lincoln Council, Ric Metcalfe, has held his seat in the Glebe ward.

This was after a bundle check - which is a quicker re-count in groups of votes.

So far, out of the 11 wards up for election on Thursday, the Conservatives have three seats and Labour have five:

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The Conservatives have taken a hat-trick of Labour seats in the first batch of Wakefield Council election results revealed today.

Image source, Google

They took the swing wards of Ossett and Wrenthorpe and Outwood West, the former by 600 votes.

Tony Homewood and Annemarie Glover, herself a former councillor, are the newly-elected members there.

In Wakefield East, Conservative candidate Akef Akbar narrowly won following a recount.

Labour won a majority of around 1,400 votes in the area in 2019 when the Conservatives polled third behind Ukip.

Mr Akbar admitted he was slightly surprised to win given Labour’s historic dominance of that area of the district, but promised to repay the faith shown in him by local voters.

He said: “It’s a huge win, but the hard work starts now. Wakefield is where I was born and bred, so people know me and trust me to get things done.

“I’ve got so much work to do and I want to make things better for the people of Wakefield East," he said.

Labour have held Stanley and Outwood East, as well as Horbury and South Ossett and has also returned sitting councillors in Wakefield West and Wakefield North, while the Conservatives have comfortably held their seat in Wakefield Rural.

Eight of the 22 seats have been declared so far, with the next batch of results expected to be announced from about 18:00.

As things stand, Labour now holds 44 of the council’s 63 seats. The Conservatives now have 14 following their three gains.

Looks like things are warming up in Kirklees as preparations are made before the official count gets under way on Saturday following yesterday's council elections:

Liz Roberts
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Sheffield

In Rotherham, all the council seats are up for grabs for the first time in five years with results already starting to come in.

BBC Radio Sheffield's Liz Roberts explains the ins and outs of this year's election:

Image source, Getty Images

The elections were due to happen last year, but like many others they were delayed by the pandemic.

There are other changes this year too...

There's been a boundary review and it's been decided that the number of council seats should be reduced from 63 to 59.

Meanwhile, the number of wards, those are the areas that councillors represent, will be increased from 21 to 25. This means the ward that you live in may now have changed.

Nine of those wards will be represented by three councillors and 16 wards be represented by two councillors.

This means in total 30 seats are needed for one party to win a majority, with ruling party Labour currently holding 40.

But there is more choice than ever this year, with the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives standing at least one candidate in every ward, and the current opposition, formerly Ukip and now called the Rotherham Democratic Party, also fielding a large number of candidates.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Rotherham Council is the latest to announce the first results for this year's local elections.

Boston Castle, which has seen 32.68% of the electorate vote, has returned the first result:

Doncaster is the latest and final South Yorkshire council to announce its first batch of results.

Conservative candidate Gary Stapleton and Labour's Sue Farmer have both been elected:

Sprotbrough has also declared in the last few minutes:

In Barnsley, a third of the council seats are up for grabs following Thursday's election.

Image source, Getty Images

The borough's divided into 21 wards, each with three councillors, so it's one of those seats in each ward that's up for grabs.

Overall, 32 seats are needed for a majority, with Labour currently holding 48.

This year, they're defending 18 seats, which means they'd have to lose 17 of those to lose overall control of the council.

Counting is under at the town's Metrodome lesiure centre with a final result expected later this afternoon.

We're about halfway through counting with these being the latest results:

With all the votes counted, Lincolnshire County Council is officially a Conservative hold following yesterday's local elections.

The council now consists of:

• Conservative: 54 seats
• Labour: 4 Seats
• Liberal Democrats: 3 seats
• Others: 9 seats

In this election, the Conservatives have lost four seats, Labour have lost two seats, the LibDems have gained two seats and others have gained four seats:

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Former Lincoln MP Karen Lee says she's "absolutely thrilled" to have become a Lincolnshire county councillor by the narrowest of margins.

Image source, LDRS

Ms Lee has been elected as Labour councillor for the Ermine and Cathedral Division - picking up 1,291 votes and beating the Conservative candidate who won 1,289 votes

She said there was certainly some drama surrounding the final stages of the count.

"We had the original count and from memory, I think that was four votes difference. Then we had the first recount and it was down to three," said Ms Lee.

"Because we'd lost a vote, they weren't happy where that had gone or not gone, so we had another recount and I think that was when it went down to two.

"Then they did what they call a 'bundle count' - essentially another recount, but with just myself and the Conservative candidate."

This doesn't happen very often...

Despite 2,781 votes being cast in the Rockingham ward in Barnsley, it all came down to a coin toss.

Labour Party candidate Nicola Sumner retains her seat after picking up 1,084 votes - the same as Conservative candidate Roy Garratt.

The council said: "Ballot papers were re-counted numerous times, but a deadlock was still not broken, so the result was decided by chance.

"This is standard practice when this happens. A coin was tossed – heads for Conservative and tails for Labour. The coin landed on tails."

James Vincent
Political Editor BBC Look North

Sheffield is no longer ruled by one single party after the Labour Party lost a number of seats. BBC political editor James Vincent explains:

We knew Labour needed to lose seven seats to lose overall control of Sheffield Council. Not many thought it was that likely. It just happened and more - they lost eight.

The council leader Bob Johnson has lost his seat in Hillsborough - he only got the job in January.

They've lost seats to the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and for the first time in years there is now a Conservative councillor on Sheffield City Council.

There is also a referendum to be counted on Monday about how the council is run.

With a smaller majority, setting up new committees to make decisions might get messy.

Sundas Alam is accused of sending threatening messages to Bradford Labour MP Naz Shah in April.

Sheffield City Council is no longer in the hands of a single political party.

It comes after Labour lost seven seats which means no one party has a majority.

Earlier council leader Labour's Bob Johnson lost his seat to the Green Party.

More on this shortly...

This is the latest from the counting floor in North Yorkshire for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

We’re going to second preference votes in after no candidate achieved over 50% of votes on first preference.

The results were:

• Philip Allot (Conservative) 73,656
• James Barker (Liberal Democrats) 19,773
• Alison Hume (Labour) 40,803
• Keith Tordoff (Independent) 22,338

The top two candidates, Philip Allott and Alison Hume, go through to second preference votes.

The first result in Wakefield is in - and it's for Wakefield West.

We're expecting these results to come in in three batches throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

We'll keep you updated as and when they arrive.

James Vincent
Political Editor BBC Look North

Labour are getting close to losing control in Sheffield.

At the start of the day seven losses would have seen them lose their majority - and they're getting close to that.

The council leader Bob Johnson has lost his seat in Hillsborough - he only got the job in January.

They've lost seats to the Lib Dems, the Greens and for the first time in 20 years - there is now a Conservative councillor on Sheffield City Council.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Sheffield is to get its first Conservative councillor in 20 years after Lewis Chinchen won his seat in Stocksbridge and Upper Don.

Mr Chinchen is chairman of Sheffield Young Conservatives.

Former Lincoln MP Karen Lee has become a county councillor by the narrowest of margins - just two votes.

The Labour candidate picked up 1,291 votes, beating the Conservative Party candidate Christoper Reid who won 1,289 votes.

The Liberal Democrats candidate and Green Party candidate both won the same amount of votes with 159 each.