North Somerset remains with no overall controlpublished at 15:38 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
No change in North Somerset.
Image source, .Summary
Labour and the Lib Dems have made gains at the expense of Conservatives in local elections, with the Tories losing more than 1000 councillors and 45 councils so far
Labour would have a nine-point lead over the Conservatives based on today's results, if all of Britain voted, the BBC projects
It has seized councils in key election battlegrounds including Swindon, Medway, Dover and East Staffordshire
The Lib Dems took control of councils in Stratford-on-Avon, Dacorum, Windsor and Maidenhead and South Hams from the Tories
The Green Party have won their first ever outright majority on a council in Mid Suffolk
PM Rishi Sunak has acknowledged some "disappointing results", while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says his party's on course to win the next general election
You can watch BBC News coverage of the results live by clicking the play button at the top of this page
North Somerset remains with no overall controlpublished at 15:38 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Image source, .Lib Dems hold onto Winchesterpublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
It's a Lib Dem hold in Winchester.
Image source, .Labour gain Middlesbroughpublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingMiddlesbrough switches from no overall control to Labour.
Image source, ,Luton hold for Labourpublished at 15:35 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Luton in Bedfordshire stays Labour.
Image source, .Elmbridge, Surrey, stays no overall controlpublished at 15:35 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Things are staying the same in Elmbridge, Surrey, with no overall control.
Image source, .Blaby hold for Conservativespublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Blaby stays blue.
Image source, .Labour wins Bracknell Forestpublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingLabour has won Bracknell Forest - a loss for the Conservatives.
Image source, .Woking held by Liberal Democratspublished at 15:33 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
It's a hold for the Lib Dems in Woking.
Image source, .Basingstoke and Deane remains no overall controlpublished at 15:33 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
No change in Basingstoke and Deane which stays no overall control and a hung council.
Image source, .Labour gain Broxtowepublished at 15:32 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingBroxtowe goes to Labour after previously being a hung council.
Image source, .Conservatives narrowly avoid falling back to record low share of vote - projectionpublished at 15:30 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Professor Sir John CurticeWe've got more now on the BBC's projection of vote share, which we brought you at 15:10.
At 26%, the Conservatives have avoided falling back to their previous record low share of 25% (in 2013) but they have not done much better than that. Their projected share is 2 points down on 2019.
At 20%, the Liberal Democrats have done slightly better than their performances in 2019 and 2022 - which were, until now, their best performances since joining a coalition with the Conservatives in 2010.
The party might be thought to have made further progress in repairing the damage done in the wake of that coalition.
Local gains could pave way for more Green MPs, says co-leaderpublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
The Green Party's co-leader Adrian Ramsay says his party's successes in this set of local elections could "pave the way" for expanding Green representation in Westminster.
He says the party have seen "fantastic results" in both rural and urban areas, winning seats of Labour and the Conservatives.
Ramsay insists that in places like Mid Suffolk, where the Greens have already won seats, people are voting positively for the Greens and not just in protest against the Tories, pointing to steady gains over the past 20 years.
On the party's hopes of winning its first overall majority on a council in Mid Suffolk, where full results are expected later, Ramsay says it's "looking good so far" but "we're not taking anything for granted".
"It would pave the way for electing the first Green MP in the area as well to really represent people on a national stage as well as locally," he adds.
Lib Dems gain South Hams, Devonpublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingThe Lib Dems win South Hams, Devon, that was previously under the Conservatives.
Image source, .Labour gain North East Derbyshirepublished at 15:14 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingLabour take control of North East Derbyshire which had been under no overall control.
Image source, .
BBC vote share projects nine-point lead for Labourpublished at 15:10 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingProfessor Sir John CurticeThe BBC is projecting that if all of Britain had the chance to vote in local elections today - and had behaved in the same way as those who did - the share of the vote for each party would be as follows:
- Conservative - 26%
- Labour - 35%
- Liberal Democrats - 20%
- Others - 19%
The nine-point lead that Labour is projected to have over the Conservatives is the largest lead that the Labour Party have recorded on our measure since losing power in 2010.
Although Labour have met the minimum threshold they set themselves, the party will be disappointed that it has not been any more successful this year than last.
The estimates take into account the fact that Labour's performance has been better in Leave voting wards than in Remain voting ones. This has helped to boost the party's performance in the places that did have elections on Thursday, which are disproportionately pro-Leave, but the pattern leaves a question mark about how well Labour would have done in the more Remain voting parts of Britain that did not have elections on Thursday.
Pendle switches to no overall controlpublished at 15:10 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingThe Conservatives have also lost Pendle in Lancashire as it moves to no overall control.
Image source, .Labour loses Sloughpublished at 15:07 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingAnd there's also a loss for Labour as Slough switches to no overall control.
Image source, .Conservatives lose Rugbypublished at 15:07 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
BreakingRugby has moved to no overall control and a hung council - another loss for the Conservatives.
Image source, .Lib Dems win control of third traditionally Tory councilpublished at 15:03 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Stratford-on-Avon District Council in Warwickshire has had a Conservative majority since 2003 but the Liberal Democrats had set their sights on making gains there, with the Tories only narrowly in control.
In the end, the Lib Dems won 15 seats there, while the Tories lost 14, giving the Lib Dems overall control.
It's the first time any other party has had majority control on the council - in the past it's only ever been Tory, independent or a hung council.
It's one of three councils the Lib Dems have won control of so far, along with other traditionally Conservative seats, Windsor and Maidenhead, as well as Dacorum in Hertfordshire.
The local Tory MP for Stratford-on-Avon is Nadhim Zahawi, who earlier this year was sacked as the party's chairman, after an inquiry found he failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs. Campaigners said he repeatedly came up on the doorstep.
Conservative sniping starts over election lossespublished at 14:57 British Summer Time 5 May 2023
Chris Mason
Political editorPlenty loyal to the government have put the boot in, some less gently than others, to Rishi Sunak's predecessors at Number 10, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Well, my phone just rang - and have a read of what a figure loyal to Johnson and Truss said to me.
"Rishi has no option but to own these results," they say.
"He has been chancellor or prime minister for virtually all of the last three years and it was he and his supporters who forced Boris and then Liz out of office in order to install him in Downing Street.
"The old saying goes that 'it is the economy, stupid' that defines the choice voters have at the ballot box.
"He [Sunak] was the chancellor who had presided over the stagnation of the British economy and hiked taxes to their highest level in 70 years while failing to seize any of the advantages of leaving the European Union.
"It is little wonder so many previous Conservative voters failed to back us yesterday."
This is a reminder of how - under the surface - the wounds are still raw in the Tory Party and searching questions are being asked by senior figures about its direction.