Patrick O'Hagan
BBC South political reporter

For six solid hours it was as quiet as could be at the Maidenhead Leisure Centre, where the count for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead took place.

And then just as we hit 04:00 we got the first result... and what a result it turned out to be.

The Conservative leader of the council Andrew Johnson out - knocked off his perch by baby-faced 22-year-old Liberal Democrat candidate George Blundell.

Cue huge cheers from the men and women in yellow, while all around those in blue rosettes seemed to droop in front of your eyes.

It was a huge personal blow for the Tory leader.

The Conservatives would never have been expecting to lose their figurehead, and certainly not to a 22-year-old, taking his first steps in politics.

It's a Tory loss in Windsor and Maidenhead - another council we were keeping a close eye on - and a gain for the Lib Dems.

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Ashfield Independents have held Ashfield in Nottinghamshire.

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Labour are delighted with their victory in Medway.

It had been a Conservative council for twenty years - the party won control in 2003.

But Labour now have control, in what senior Labour figures are calling a "massive" result.

They had thrown a lot at the area. Keir Starmer visited on the eve of polling on Wednesday – heading straight to Kent after PMQs.

We'll have to see where the day goes.

But speaking to people in the party this morning, they are extremely happy and think by the end of the day, they will be able to show they are on course to win a majority at the next general election.

The usual caveats apply - we've a long way to go in counting.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've reported, Labour has taken control of Medway Council in Kent for the first time in more than 20 years.

Its outgoing Conservative leader Alan Jarrett says as it's a "serious situation" for his party, and blames extensive boundary changes as one of a combination of factors for the loss.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he says there's been a Tory administration for most of the time since the authority was formed in 1998, so "it's a very disappointing night for us".

Jarrett says he would tell the Tory government in Westminster to "get their act together on a number of fronts" including "getting their grip on the economy, being clearer about housing requirements... and a really big issue here is access to GP provision".

Chris Mason
Political editor

The night is old, but the long day ahead of counting is still young.

So, conclusions drawn must be done so with caution - caution because of the volume of results still to come, and caution because it can be crude to instantly transpose local election results to imagine a general election picture.

But there is often a correlation between performance at local elections and national ones.

It has, without question, so far been a miserable series of results for the Conservatives. "A wake up call" as one minister put it.

"This is a party problem, not a prime minister problem," a senior party source claimed.

Labour reckon these results show they are "on track to win the next general election."

But some analysts are sceptical the numbers are that good for Labour - given the colossal mountain they face to get Keir Starmer into Downing Street and the Tories take comfort from that.

The broadest sleep-deprived smiles this morning belong to Liberal Democrats.

But remember, we are not even close to the half way point in these results so far.

There's no party majority in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire - so it will be a hung council.

That marks a loss for the Conservatives.

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To Greater Manchester now, where Labour have held Tameside.

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The Liberal Democrats remain in charge in North Devon.

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Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Results from around England have been trickling in so far – and we can start sketching some early headlines at 06:30.

The Conservatives have had a dire night – losing 199 councillors so far.

They have lost control of councils like Brentwood, Tamworth and North West Leicestershire.

Over the past few weeks, Tory insiders had said losing 1,000 seats was possible.

That was expectation management – designed to make a slightly better result look good.

But it’s quite possible that by the end of the day, the Conservatives could been looking at four figure losses.

So who’s gaining – and what might it mean for a general election?

Labour is making gains – so far they have been steps rather than giant strides.

The party is delighted at progress in key targets like Stoke and Teesside, where they won the race for mayor of Middlesbrough.

Insiders think the results today will show they are on course for a general election victory, but we can’t say that for sure yet.

Image source, Getty Images

The Liberal Democrats are cock-a-hoop this morning, with one source describing the results so far as “ground-breaking” for the party.

They believe they will win key areas like Windsor and Maidenhead. They are hopeful of upsets in key Conservative heartlands in the south of England too.

The Greens are also very happy – and they are optimistic of “significant gains” later in the day.

Remember, it’s still early in the counting.

We’ll get the vast majority of results later on Friday – when we’ll have a much better idea of what this all means for the broad political picture.

A lot could still change.

Boston has gone to Independent control, having previously had no party majority.

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The Conservatives have retained control of North Lincolnshire.

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Charlotte Wright
Political editor, BBC South East

Labour have won a majority in Medway Council for the first time in 20 years.

They’ve secured 30 seats, which they needed to take control of the council, with wards still to declare.

Earlier in the night the outgoing Conservative leader, Cllr Alan Jarrett, had conceded that his party had lost control - blaming boundary changes and dissatisfaction with the national Conservative Party.

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Labour have won Medway from the Conservatives.

As we reported a short time ago, it was a key target for them.

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Just over a quarter of councils have announced their results in this year's local elections in England, with a long day ahead before we can glean a clear idea how the parties have done.

As you can see in the clips below, Conservatives have already acknowledged it's been a tough night for the party, with Labour and the Lib Dems sharing the early spoils.

Rob Corp
Live reporter

I hope you’ve enjoyed our live coverage of the first council results to come in following yesterday’s local elections in England.

We’ve had about a quarter of the results in so far, and there are more to come through the course of Friday as the majority of local authorities are not counting ballot papers until the morning.

To guide you through the next part of the day I’m handing over to James FitzGerald, who along with Emily McGarvey, Cat McGowan and Anna Boyd will bring you the latest reaction and analysis as the country wakes up to the results so far.

Don’t forget you can also check out the results where you live right here.

From Marita, Paul, and me, thanks for being with us overnight.

In West Lindsey, in Lincolnshire, no party has reached a majority meaning that it remains a hung council.

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Another result to bring you now first thing this Friday morning. In Telford & Wrekin, Labour have retained control of the council in Shropshire.

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It's 6am and as the night turns into the day, a lot lies ahead for the UK's political parties as the majority of votes remain to be counted in England's local elections.

Here's what the parties have to say first this morning: