Welsh election results 2022: Labour make gains as Tories lose Monmouthshire

Labour celebrate retaking Blaenau Gwent in its traditional south Wales stronghold

Labour regained control of two of its stronghold seats in the Welsh council elections that it lost in 2017 as the Tories lost their only council.

Labour has retaken Blaenau Gwent and Bridgend while it beat the Conservatives in Monmouthshire.

Labour was also the largest party in Vale of Glamorgan, but did not win a majority.

Labour failed to retake Merthyr Tydfil, but held Cardiff, Torfaen, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Newport and Caerphilly.

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The Tories had feared Richard John, Monmouthshire's previous council leader, could lose his seat but although he retained it, the Tories lost control of a council they had been in control of since 2004.

Monmouthshire Tory council leader Richard John said his party had felt "hard pain"

Despite his own success, he described the "hard pain" of results overall for his party.

He said his own win showed the case for "modern compassionate conservatism".

Sisters Catherine Bonera and Elizabeth Haynes are independent councillors in the St Dials area of Cwmbran

The council's former leader and Conservative MS for Monmouth Peter Fox said it "wasn't all about Boris" and there were other local issues he heard on the doorstep.

"I think he's given a strong leadership through the through the pandemic, through the Ukraine crisis as we've got at the moment, you know, nobody's perfect," he said.

Husband and wife team Debbie and Tim Harvey win seats in Newport's Alway ward

The party's Monmouth MP David Davies described results across the UK as "very strange", but said Prime Minister Boris Johnson would still have his backing whatever the final outcome.

In Caerphilly, Labour council leader Philippa Marsden lost her seat by a big margin as she received 213 votes in Ynysddu - and was beaten by two independents - Jan Jones with 1,162 and Janine Reed with 1,150.

Caerphilly MS Hefin David believed her loss was down to local opposition to a new waste plant planned for Cwmfelinfach.

In Torfaen, meanwhile, the Tories were wiped out, after winning four council seats in 2017.

Huw Bevan, leader of the Torfaen Conservative group, was pessimistic about his party's chances and admitted "some people are staying away due to Partygate".

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In some councils where no party wins more than half the seats - known as "no overall control" - there may be talks lasting several weeks to decide who runs the authority.