Amber Valley election results: Tories hold with increased majority

Counting at Amber Valley Borough Council

The Conservatives have held on to Amber Valley Borough Council, increasing their majority.

The party gained two seats, strengthening its hold on the authority it took from Labour in 2021, with a total of 30 councillors.

Greens also gained two seats, bringing their total to three councillors, while the Labour party has now been reduced to 11.

Turnout for the election in the Derbyshire council was 33 per cent.

This year for the final time the council elected one third of its seats, with 15 out of 45 up for grabs. Next year, all 45 seats will be contested.

The current make up is 30 Conservatives, 11 Labour, three Green and one independent.

Nigel Mills, Conservative MP for Amber Valley, previously called for the Prime Minister to resign over his lockdown party fine, a stance which the local party believes helped them gain support.

"I'm glad that my local candidates think that helped them," Mr Mills said. "I hope it re-focussed the election on local issues, local councils, and local councillor performances.

"It seemed to work - we are leaving here tonight with more [Conservative] councillors than we came with and I don't think anybody really expected that on a night like this."

Analysis

By Tony Roe, BBC East Midlands Today political correspondent

Were there local or national issues at play? The Conservatives were keen to talk up "local" ahead of the poll and it helped that their MP defused partygate by calling on the PM to go. It meant they didn't have to defend it on the doorstep.

They could talk about the future instead, like using Towns Fund money to buy up a derelict and listed school building in Heanor with a plan to redevelop it.

Labour took a pasting in the Amber Valley elections last year and lost three more seats this time. Yet looking at the bigger picture they do have hope for when all the council is up for election again in a year's time. Their group leader, Ben Bellamy, did some number crunching overnight and said the Conservative vote fell by more than 2,300 compared with the same seats contested a year ago, whereas the Labour vote was up almost 600.

The Conservatives will need to show over the next 12 months they are delivering on their plans. Labour will need to show they have an alternative. The cost of living crisis is one national issue which will play an increasing part in how people vote next time. A year can be a very short time in politics.

Ben Bellamy, leader of the Amber Valley Labour Group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I am really pleased with quite a few of the results, winning in Alfreton which we lost last year and winning in Codnor & Waingroves, which we lost last year.

"There are a few disappointing results in the Heanor area but there is a lot to deliver and promised in the Heanor area by the Conservatives and we don't think they can deliver and we are holding them to the fire over that."

He added that the party was confident about next year's full council elections.

Elsewhere in Derbyshire, a by-election was held in the Carsington Water seat on Derbyshire Dales District Council, held by Lewis Rose from 1974 until his death in January.

His widow Janet Rose was elected for the Conservatives.

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