Alex Regan
BBC News

The Tories have won another Derby City Council seat - this time by just a single vote.

In the Darley ward, where two seats were up for grabs, the Labour candidate Alison Martin secured a seat with 1,833 votes.

But the second seat was then won by Conservative Alan Grimadell with 1,305 votes, pipping Carmel Swan - who had 1,304 - to the post.

The result increases the Conservative Party's seats to 21 out of the 51 seats available at Derby City Council, but five shy of an overall majority.

Tim Parker
BBC Radio Leicester reporter

Not a whitewash, but one Conservative MP's claiming a "blue rinse" for Leicestershire following today's election.

They've got plenty to celebrate – gaining six seats, to reach a dominating total of 42 out of the 55 seats at County Hall in Glenfield.

All that, from just over 51.3% of the vote.

It leaves the major opposition, the Lib Dems, with nine councillors - down from 13 - with lots to think about.

Group leader Simon Galton kept his seat in Launde but saw his majority slip from almost 900 to 190.

He says national issues dominated the campaigning, and the fact that it wasn't focused on local issues "is a failure on our part".

The last result in Oadby was delayed by a recount, and another gain for the Tories in the heart of traditionally Lib Dem territory.

Labour has reached another new low in terms of the number of councillors here. They had six, but now have four.

As is often the case, Leicestershire seems to have reflected what's happened nationally.

The city of Leicester provided a crumb of red comfort, with a hold for Labour in the North Evington by-election.

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

The Conservatives have gained another seat in Leicestershire.

In the Oadby ward, Kamal Ghattoraya was elected, taking a seat from the Liberal Democrats.

Image source, PA Media

Dean Gamble held on to the other seat in Oadby for the Liberal Democrats.

This means the Conservatives finish with 42 seats on the county council, a gain of six.

The Liberal Democrats are down to nine seats, with Labour reduced from six to four seats.

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

The Conservatives have won both by-elections held for Erewash Borough Council.

In the Nottingham Road ward, Bryn James Lewis won with a majority of nearly 200.

Image source, Getty Images

For the Hallam Fields ward, Jon Wright was elected with a majority of nearly 180.

Both seats had been held by Labour and the results mean the Conservatives strengthen their control of the authority.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has "got a lot of questions to answer" after Labour lost ground across England in the local elections.

Andrew Bridgen said Labour had got themselves into a "very difficult situation" by losing seats to all the other main political parties.

Sir Keir said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the results so far, but pledged to lead a fightback for his party and to set out a "bold vision" in the next few days.

Image source, North West Leicestershire District Council

All of the wards in Mr Bridgen's district have turned Conservative for the first time.

He said: "We got the best candidates we've ever put out, we ran the most professional campaign and the results showed - people came out and they voted Conservative.

"We had a clean sweep of all the seats in North West Leicestershire - it's never happened before."

Liam Barnes
BBC News

Counting has begun for the election of Derbyshire's police and crime commissioner.

A result is expected later this evening.

Derby City Council also confirmed it's started counting votes for its two remaining seats in the Darley ward.

Image source, Derby City Council

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Dr Terri Eynon, who lost her seat in Coalville North, said it's "sad" that voters in North West Leicestershire don't feel like Labour can represent them.

Dr Eynon was the Labour group leader at the county council but was defeated by the Conservative candidate Craig Andrew Smith.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, she said: "The electorate, they don't vote for you on how hard you work, how much case work you do, how many meetings you turn up to - they vote for someone who represents them.

"They choose someone who they feel will feel the same way that they do and clearly at the moment that isn't members of the Labour Party here in North West Leicestershire, which I feel is sad but that's the way it goes."

Eddie Bisknell
Local Democracy Reporter

Today's results mean that, for the first time, the Conservatives have had back-to-back administrations at the council.

Labour saw its share of seats on the authority, which it has held for 36 years out of the past 48, reduce from 24 seats to 14.

With the defeat of Labour leader Paul Smith and fellow party runner Steve Marshall-Clarke, nearly the whole of the Amber Valley map is now blue – with a Green Party victory in Duffield preventing a Tory clean sweep.

Image source, Derbyshire County Council

This has been compounded by the blow of the Labour group's deputy leader, Mick Wall, also losing his seat.

The map is also entirely blue in South Derbyshire, with the Tories completing a clean sweep of all eight divisions.

It shows a further march from Derbyshire away from its historic voting patterns, as the "Red Wall" turns blue.

Alex Regan
BBC News

The Tories have held a seat in a Blaby District Council by-election.

The Stanton and Flamville ward was vacant after councillor Sheila Scott retired in 2020, after nearly a decade in office.

Conservative candidate Mike Shirley won with 1,651 votes, with Liberal Democrat Luke Cousin finishing second with 552 votes.

Liam Barnes
BBC News

Labour has held the North Evington seat in a Leicester City Council by-election.

Vandevi Pandya received 3,306 votes, with Conservative candidate Abdul Razak Osman coming second with 2,565.

Labour now holds 52 of the 54 seats on the council, including all three North Evington representatives.

The election had been called after Labour's Jean Khote died on 13 February.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Labour won just 14 seats in Derbyshire, losing several to the Conservative Party - they did however gain two new seats.

In New Mills, Anne Clarke took the seat from the Liberal Democrats, and in Glossop and Charlesworth Damien Greenhalgh took a seat from the Conservatives.

Mr Greenhalgh said the win was "bittersweet".

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The Conservative MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley, has been congratulating new Tory county councillors in the district.

Image source, Ben Bradley

On his Facebook page, Mr Bradley welcomed six councillors - Bethan Eddy (Warsop), Sinead Anderson (Mansfield West), Robert Corden (Mansfield East), Nigel Moxon (Mansfield East) and Andre Camilleri (Mansfield South).

Mr Bradley was himself elected as a councillor for Mansfield North.

It is only the second time since 1977 the Conservatives have won control of the council.

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

Every vote counts, so they say, and it's proved to be true in one part of Derbyshire.

In the Derbyshire Dales District Council by-elections, it went down to the wire in the Masson ward.

Image source, Google

The area, which covers Bonsall, Cromford and Matlock Bath was a head-to-head between Labour and the Conservatives.

And Dermot Murphy triumphed for the Tories, beating Nicholas Whitehead by just three votes.

Mr Murphy also won the Wirksworth seat in the county council elections - by 167 votes.

Liam Barnes
BBC News

The Labour group leader for Nottinghamshire County Council has thanked his colleagues after losing his seat.

Alan Rhodes had represented Worksop North for 17 years, but lost his seat to Conservative candidate Callum Bailey.

The incumbent earned 1,557 votes but was edged out by Bailey, who received 1,711 votes and 49.8% of the vote share.

Alex Regan
BBC News

The Conservatives have made sizeable gains and increased their majority at Derbyshire County Council.

The Tories now hold 45 seats out of 64 - previously they had 36.

It comes after a massive swing to the Tories in 2017, when they obliterated Labour's 22-seat majority.

It was another bad night for Labour, who only retained 14 of their 24 seats.

But one seat that Labour did keep was in Whaley Bridge, where ex-MP Ruth George fought off a challenge from former Tory minister Edwina Currie.

One embarrassing loss was Labour's group leader Paul Smith, whose seat in Alfreton and Somercotes went to the Conservatives.

The Green Party are now represented on the council, after gaining Duffield and Belper South.

The Liberal Democrats also gained a seat, to bring their total on the council up to four.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The Conservatives now have 36 seats in Nottinghamshire, taking them over the 34 required to have a majority.

In 2017 they fell three seats short of taking overall control, meaning they had form a coalition.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Mansfield Independents have all seen their share of the votes fall.

BBC East Midlands political editor Tony Roe said it is only the second time since 1977 that the Conservatives have won control of the county.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The Conservatives have gone past the 28 seats needed for a majority on Leicestershire County Council.

They've gained a number of new seats from the results announced so far - including in Coalville North, Coalville South, Forest & Measham and Market Harborough East.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Paul Smith, the Labour group leader for Derbyshire, has lost his seat on the county council.

The Alfreton and Somercotes ward seats were won by the two Conservative candidates David Wilson and Philip Rose.

Following the results, Mr Smith said: "As Arnie [Arnold Schwarzenegger] said, I'll be back."

Simon Hare
BBC East Midlands Today

We're expecting a recount now for Alfreton and Somercotes over concerns that something doesn't tally up.

The Labour group leader, Paul Smith, is trying to hold on to his ward.

Labour group leaders in both Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire have so far lost their seats to the Conservatives.