Labour remain largest party in Wirral and hold Knowsley, Halton and Sefton

Wirral Labour leader Janette Williamson said it had "not been a bad night"

Labour has kept control of Knowsley and remained the largest party in Wirral, despite Conservative and Green gains.

The party took 32 seats in Knowsley, but saw the council's deputy leader Louise Harbour lose to an independent.

The Green Party also took a seat from Labour and held another, while the Liberal Democrats held one seat.

In Wirral, Labour took 26 seats, just two more than the Tories, who picked up one, while the Greens, who celebrated two gains, now have nine councillors.

Elsewhere in Liverpool City Region, Labour retained both Sefton, St Helens and Halton, though there was a big shock in the Cheshire borough where the Conservatives took a seat from Labour following a tie-breaker.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said after several recounts, the parties were tied on 398 votes in the Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor ward.

To decide the winner, the names of both candidates were put in an envelope and returning officer Ian Leivesley selected one, with the winner being announced as Conservative Sian Davidson.

Follow all the latest results from across the UK on our live page

English results in full

Wirral's Labour leader Janette Williamson said both national and regional issues had affected Thursday's local elections.

She said one resident "who lost her husband in a care home could not hug her kids at the funeral" and was "raging" at the Conservatives over Partygate.

She added that it had "not been a bad night" for Labour, which picked up one seat in Rock Ferry, adding: "Our vote share has risen quite significantly".

Wirral Greens celebrate picking up two seats

Judith Grier, the new Green councillor for Bebington, said people appreciated that the party was "trying to look after the local environment" and raising issues, such as road safety speed limits, which were "resonating with people".

Fellow Green Naomi Graham, who won in Prenton, said voters "know we stand up for what they want and listen to what they're saying".

Analysis: BBC Radio Merseyside political reporter Claire Hamilton

Wirral council remains on a knife edge.

Neither Labour nor the Conservatives have a majority, the Greens are putting pressure on Labour. It's complicated!

Next year will really be worth watching: there will be an all-out election in Wirral, with every seat contested. Maybe that will give one party a majority; maybe the stalemate will stick.

Labour are celebrating in Sefton as their success in traditional Conservative wards continues apace.

The party won 49% of the vote in these elections, cementing their majority and probably making Merseyside's only Tory MP (Southport's Damien Moore) feel a little nervous.

Halton saw some serious drama, as the result in one ward was a dead heat.

Halton was the first council in England to declare its results, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council saw the first Conservative gain in decades, with the Greens losing their first and only seat after just 12 months in Daresbury, Moore and Sandymoor.

The winner, Sian Davidson, only emerged victorious thanks to her name being drawn from an envelope by the returning officer.

Labour's shadow local government minister Mike Amesbury tweeted: "Very proud and honoured that Labour were neck and neck in this ward. A shame that after recounts you are faced with a lucky dip. Onwards towards next year."

Overall, Labour now has 48 of the council's 54 seats, with the remainder equally shared by the Conservatives and Lib Dems.

What are the results in my area?

In St Helens, Labour lost seven seats with three going to the Greens and the independents gaining the remaining four.

However, Labour remain in charge with 29 seats, followed by the Greens with six, the Lib Dems on four, the Conservatives with two and the independents holding seven seats.

Over in Sefton, meanwhile, Labour picked up a seat from the Conservatives. They now have 48 of the 66 seats, way ahead of the Lib Dems on eight, the Tories on seven, and three others.

Labour won all the wards in Bootle and Sefton Central, which included a gain from Tory deputy group leader Denise Dutton who lost her seat in the Harington ward of Formby.

She said it was "very disappointing indeed" and laid blame firmly at the government's door, saying "with the Boris situation, we had nowhere to go".

Labour MP for Sefton Central Bill Esterson said that seat "was a real scalp" to take and he was "absolutely thrilled" at the "massive endorsement of the brilliant work of the sitting councillors and candidates".

Labour MP for Bootle Peter Dowd said it sent a message that the party are "doing the right job despite massive cuts from government".

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