Vote 2012: Labour comfortably holds Neath Port Talbot

Labour has comfortably held onto Neath Port Talbot council, increasing its number of seats by 13.

The party won 52 seats, with Independents taking eight and Plaid Cymru four. The Liberal Democrats lost their three seats.

It was one of only two councils where Labour won an overall majority in 2008.

Early indications were that Labour was also polling strongly in Swansea, where it is in opposition but is the largest party.

They were among 21 unitary local authorities in Wales being contested.

Most councils are expected to declare during the early hours, but others, such as Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, are not due until the afternoon.

Labour is defending about 340 seats, Plaid Cymru almost 200, the Conservatives 165 and the Liberal Democrats 140. The rest were filled by independents or small parties.

• <bold>All the latest election results are available at </bold> <link> <caption>bbc.co.uk/vote2012</caption> <altText>BBC Vote 2012 special report and results service</altText> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17270000" platform="highweb"/> </link>