Norwich has stayed red.

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Conservatives lose control of Cannock Chase.

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As we start to see more and more councils declare their results, here are the ones to watch:

In Stratford-on-Avon in the West Midlands the Liberal Democrats are hoping to take control of what has previously been a solidly Conservative area.

Also in the Midlands, Labour have their eyes on North Warwickshire which they could take from the Tories.

We're also expecting results from Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Darlington, where Labour will want to show they can win key former "red wall" seats in northern England by taking overall control.

From 16:00 GMT, we should get declarations from a handful of councils the Lib Dems have been eyeing up in the south: Wokingham, Guildford and West Berkshire.

We're also expecting more results for Mid Suffolk - where the Conservative council leader, Suzie Morley, has already lost her seat to the Green Party. The Greens are eyeing their first outright council majority there - so watch this space.

And it's as you were in Milton Keynes as the council remains hung.

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There's a flurry of results, but a fourth council stays stable as Leeds chooses to remain Labour.

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And there's also no change in North Tyneside.

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Another council with no change as Conservatives hold East Cambridgeshire.

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Kirklees stays held by Labour.

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The Conservatives are looking likely to lose the next general election based on today's results, one of the party's former councillors says.

Nigel Churchill lost his seat on Plymouth County Council to Labour, which took control of the council from the Tories.

He tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme the leadership of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, as well as infighting in the national and local party, all contributed.

Churchill adds that a row over the felling of trees in the city centre was "handled very badly" by the Tories and played a role.

He says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has brought some "stability" to the Tory brand but that his media appearances this morning appeared to say "business as usual and we'll stick with the plan".

Asked whether his party could lose the next general election, Churchill says: "I think it's looking that way."

While he accepts that inflation and the cost of living could come down before the next election, which is widely expected next year, he adds: "I still think the general public do not trust them at the moment."

In one of the key battleground councils the Conservatives have lost.

Swindon is now a Labour council.

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No change at Tunbridge Wells.

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Paul Barltrop
Political Editor, West of England

There was something of a political earthquake in the west of England the last time these elections were held in 2019 and we expect at least tremors this time.

The Conservatives went backwards, ousted by the Liberal Democrats in the Cotswolds, and Bath and North East Somerset, and losing out to Independents in North Somerset.

Publicly, the Tories talk about honing in on controversial local issues such as measures to make life harder for drivers, such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, but the reality is they face a fight to hold on to the councils they still control.

In South Gloucestershire their narrow majority of just five seats is under threat from both Lib Dems and Labour.

Perhaps the biggest battle though is in Swindon, which has long been seen as an electoral bellwether at general elections.

Whoever wins there normally gets into Downing Street, which might explain why Keir Starmer came to town for a local election campaign launch.

Labour hopes taking back this council will be a springboard to general election success next year.

Here's a breakdown of the swing at East Staffordshire council, which switched from Conservative to Labour control.

No change in Calderdale.

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Voters don't forgive the Conservative Party for the "scandals" of the past 12 months, a Tory councillor has said.

Antony Mullen, who leads the Tory group on Sunderland Council, told the BBC last night the scandals surrounding Boris Johnson and the "totally bizarre and inappropriate decision to put Liz Truss in as prime minister has been unforgivable".

“Rishi Sunak gets a positive response on the doorstep but there are a lot of people who remember what came before so I think his competence needs to shine through in order to fix that," he added.

Labour held Sunderland Council, gaining five councillors, while the Tories lost two.

Worthing sticks with Labour.

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Another council moves from Conservative control to no overall majority as they lose Bromsgrove.

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Georgia Roberts
BBC Radio Derby

The Labour Party have gained control of East Staffordshire from the Conservatives.

It’s the first time in decades they’ve got control there.

Labour on the ground there say they’re “in shock” - they were feeling confident about becoming the biggest party in a hung council - but this was beyond many of their wildest hopes. They say they have made gains in wards they never normally have a presence.

The Conservatives have been nervous all week about their prospects there, with local activists reporting “general frustration at the party not seemingly able to hold it together” in Westminster.

They have come to the view that the narrative they were fighting against locally was beyond their control.

As a reminder, there's no elections taking place in London, Scotland or Wales.

Council elections in Northern Ireland have been moved back to Thursday 18 May because of the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.

The polls for more than 8,000 council seats on 230 councils, and four mayors, across England closed yesterday.

East Staffordshire is taken from the Conservatives.

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