Local elections 2023: Conservatives lose Norfolk councils and seats

The Liberal Democrats won the seats they needed to keep control of North Norfolk

The Conservatives have lost control of three councils in Norfolk and made significant losses in others.

In Broadland, the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens all made gains from the Tories, who lost overall control.

Their leader, Shaun Vincent, lost his seat to the Greens, ousted in his Plumstead ward by James Harvey.

They also lost their slender majority in Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn and West Norfolk, and lost seats in South Norfolk and Breckland.

The Conservatives lost 12 seats, leaving them on 21 - three short of a majority - on Broadland District Council.

The Liberal Democrats are the next largest party with 14 seats, a gain of two.

Greens won four seats - their first councillors on the authority - while Labour gained six seats, giving them eight councillors.

Mr Vincent said: "It was really disappointing what happened today, we saw the impact of the national picture."

In South Norfolk, the Conservatives have only just held on to the council, losing 11 seats and putting them on 24 - the number needed for a majority on the 46-seat authority.

Labour made the biggest gains with eight new councillors, giving them nine overall, while the Liberal Democrats gained one seat, leaving them on 11.

Analysis:

Paul Moseley, Political Reporter, BBC Radio Norfolk

It looked like it would be a bad day for the Conservatives in Broadland when their leader, Shaun Vincent, lost his seat in the first declaration of the day - and it did not get much better for them after that.

Mr Vincent said that after 16 years as a councillor, five as leader, it was "disappointing".

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens all gained seats, which means that for the first time since 2000, the Conservatives no longer have a majority on the council.

The Conservatives have controlled South Norfolk since 2007 and they still do today, but only just.

The party saw its number of seats fall from 32 to 24, leaving it with the slimmest of majorities. The second biggest group on the council, the Liberal Democrats, gained one seat.

Labour made the biggest gains though, going from one councillor to nine - a record for the party in South Norfolk.

Visibly stunned by the result, their previously lone councillor Jeremy Rowe said it was "amazing".

The Tories also held on to Breckland Council despite losing seven seats, bringing them down to 30 councillors on the 49-seat authority.

Labour gained six seats, taking them to 12 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats also won a seat, along with one Green and five independents.

Meanwhile, Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith was re-elected for the Conservatives in the Bradwell North ward.

But the party lost its slender majority on the authority losing two seats, leaving it on 19 - one short of being in control.

Labour gained three seats, giving them 18 councillors, with two independents making up the rest of the council.

In King's Lynn and West Norfolk the Conservatives lost control of the council, losing seven councillors, putting them on 21 seats out of the 55 available.

The borough council now has 18 independents, a gain of three, 11 Labour, a gain of one, three Liberal Democrat, a gain of two, and two Greens, a gain of one.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith has retained his seat for the Conservatives

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have held control of North Norfolk District Council.

The party took 25 seats, bolstering its majority by one.

Council leader Tim Adams hailed a "wonderful result" and said the "writing is on the wall" for a Conservative defeat in the area at the next general election.

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Mr Adams claimed the cost of living crisis, "scandal after scandal" for the Tory party, but also sewage levels along the local coastline, affected the voting on Thursday.

"People want Lib Dems representing them - they are good councillors and they focus on the big issues and the small issues," he said.

Conservative group leader Christopher Cushing said the Tories had made "progress" by gaining two seats.

"Clearly if you're going into an election with a real headwind on the national polls - obviously that has an impact locally," he said.

In Great Yarmouth, the Conservatives lost a slender majority

The Greens have taken two seats from Labour in Norwich

In Norwich, Labour kept control of the city council by retaining the majority of seats, with just a third up for contest.

However, the Wensum ward - seen as a key local battleground - and the Sewell division have been taken by the Greens from Labour.

The Greens now have a third of councillors there, with 13 out of 39 seats, Labour on 23 seats and the Liberal Democrats on three.

No elections were held for county council seats this time around.

The count for Norwich City Council has taken place at St Andrew's Hall

The count for King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council

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