North East Lincolnshire: Tories lose control of council

Conservative MPs Lia Nici and Martin Vickers said the result was a "reflection of national government" and not local council

The Conservatives have lost control of North East Lincolnshire Council after a five-year reign, with the authority now under no overall control.

A third of the authority's 42 seats were up for election with 22 required for a majority win.

But the Tories lost eight of its 11 seats while Labour won six and Independent candidates gained two.

Conservative MP for Grimsby Lia Nici denied any suggestion that voters wanted a new Prime Minister.

"I think the main reason is the national picture. I think people are fed up with politicians and politics.

"They want to see real change in the country and they want the Conservatives to be able to continue and get on with their manifesto that we promised them in 2019."

Conservative MP for Grimsby Lia Nici was looking optimistic before counting started

The results came in overnight and there was no change for the Liberal Democrats, which held onto its three seats. Conservative MP for Cleethorpes Martin Vickers also believed the result was a reflection of the performance of central government rather than the local council.

"Sadly, in local elections, they tend to mirror the polls at national level.

"Clearly, it's a statement of the obvious, we're far behind in the polls nationally and people had to follow through at local level despite the fact that we've got a council here [under] Conservative control for the last few years.

"[We've] got a number of major projects under way. We've had great success at getting levelling up funding from the government as well as high street funds and others.

"But I'm afraid local councils, however good they are and I've experienced this in the past, are often punished for the failings of central [government]."

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• Chris Mason: A rough night for the Conservatives

Melanie Onn, the former MP for Grimsby and Labour's candidate for the seat in the next general election, said she was "really pleased with the outcome".

"We've been working really hard talking to the local voters, really trying to re-establish trust and confidence from the local population.

"But really people are telling us that they are ready for a change and that is what we've seen in the results."

Conservatives lost control of the council after five years and no party won overall control

Analysis: Yorkshire & Lincolnshire political editor Tim Iredale

Before a single vote had been counted, Conservative activists knew they were in trouble at the Grimsby Auditorium count.

Many blamed national events for the swing to Labour and Grimsby is often described as a typical 'red wall' constituency.

Decades of Labour dominance in the town ended in 2019, when Lia Nici won the seat for the Tories.

Some claim it is only a matter of time before normal service is resumed and Grimsby is represented by a Labour MP once again.

Others point to the small turnout in the local elections and argue that many Tory voters simply stayed at home.

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