Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Tim Adams, who leads North Norfolk District Council, has retained his county council seat in Cromer for the Liberal Democrats.

He took 59% of the vote, polling 2,506, with Reform UK some way behind at 1,138 and 27%.

Again, a big turnout at 51%.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Image source, Paul Moseley/BBC

The Greens have won their first seat of these elections, taking Diss and Roydon.

It had been held by the Conservatives but was vacant following the resignation of Keith Kiddie.

Will Porteous took it in an area where the Green's have an MP - the Waveney Valley constituency's Adrian Ramsay.

He polled 1,244 votes, ahead of Reform UK on 1,166.

"I think people are ready for change. They feel let down by the big parties," the newly-elected councillor said.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

We've heard of another seat taken by Reform UK, this time from the Conservatives in Acle.

Justine Thomas was triumphant with 1,652 votes over her closest rivals, the Greens, on 1,193. The Tories trailed in third place with 668 and just 16% of the vote, compared with Reform's 39%.

Turnout was strong here, at just over 50%.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

Reform UK have taken a seat from Labour in Crome, which covers an area north-east of Norwich city centre, including Thorpe Hamlet.

Tim Day will join the ward's two Labour incumbents at Norwich City Council.

More jubilation among the Reform UK camp as they snatch two more county council seats - Costessey, and Yare & Necton.

Costessey, which had been Independent, was won by David Henson who polled 1,384 votes, followed by Independent Gary Blundell on 987.

The main parties were way behind here, with the Liberal Democrats - who formerly held the seat - getting just 15% of the vote with 628.

Reform's Kher Kabeer received 2,105 votes (45% vote share) in Yare & Necton, ahead of the Conservatives on 26% and 1,224 votes.

Conservative Bill Borett - who stepped back from the cabinet last year in a row over this election - has lost his Norfolk County Council seat to Reform UK by 63 votes.

Borrett, who formerly led the council, lost out in the south-west Norfolk ward of Elmham & Mattishall to Reform UK's Paul Carr, who polled 1,418 votes compared with Borrett's 1,365.

Both were streets ahead of third-placed Lib Dems on 516. The turnout at 47%.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

There are 39 seats on Norwich City Council and 14 of them are available in this year’s vote.

It typically would be 13, but there is an extra seat available following the resignation of Green councillor Liam Calvert.

Like the county council, the city council is due to be scrapped as part of local government reorganisation.

It should cease to exist in two years, to be replaced by a Greater Norwich authority – with elections for that to take place next year.

But with major projects like the Anglia Square redevelopment ongoing, a lot is already happening in the city.

With 1,617 votes, Stuart Clancy from the Conservatives has retained Taverham on Norfolk County Council.

Voter turnout in the division was 51.69%.

Reform UK's candidate Alice Kemp came in second with 1,109 votes and Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou was third for the Liberal Democrats with 746.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Controlled by the Conservatives since 2017, the party had 50 seats on Norfolk County Council and has been led by the often outspoken Kay Mason Billig.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats were the next two largest parties, with nine members each, while the Greens had four and Reform UK had two.

A further eight councillors were Independent and there were two vacancies.

The Conservatives, Labour and Reform put up candidates in every seat – while the Lib Dems and Greens are each contesting almost every division.

Meanwhile, The Great Yamouth MP Rupert Lowe's new Great Yarmouth First has been challenging for nine seats in that area.

The Communist Party has put up two candidates and there have been a number of Independent candidates.

Reform UK have secured another three seats on Norfolk County Council - all previously held by the Conservatives.

Jacob Allen received 1,797 votes in Guiltcross, in the Breckland area south of Attleborough. The Conservatives received 1,439 and the Greens came in third with 734.

Reform's Jaden Lister has taken Swaffham with 1,869 votes. The Conservatives were second with 1,020 and the Greens third with 509.

With 1,798 votes, Tom Dickerson has also came out on top for Reform UK in Launditch, which covers a large area of Breckland north-west of Dereham. He is followed by the Conservatives on 1,158 and the Liberal Democrats on 782.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

Reform UK has taken two seats from the Conservatives on Norfolk County Council.

Wendy Atkinson received 1,007 votes, with the Conservative candidate Edith Jones polling third with 621 votes, behind Peter Harwood for the Greens on 665.

Atkinson is newly elected to Woodside ward, which encompasses parts of Sprowston, Heartsease and Thorpe St Andrew, to the east of Norwich.

We have also just heard Reform's Daniel Burcham has taken Attleborough from the Conservatives with 1,433 votes - representing 49% of the ballot. Again, the Conservatives trailed in third (542), very slightly behind the Greens (547).

Some good news for the Tories - they retained Wymondham. Robert Savage polled 1433 votes, with Gokce Schuler of Reform second with 1,004.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

And they're off. The count begins at Sportspark at the University of East Anglia for 13 county council seats in the Norwich area.

Later, the team here will also count the entire Norwich City Council ballot, with just 14 seats - a third of the total - are up for grabs.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Image source, Paul Moseley/BBC

South West Norfolk Labour MP Terry Jermy says he expects bad results for Labour and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should consider his future.

"I think he needs to have a look and see if he's the best person to take the Labour Party and the government forward," he says.

"He's done a reasonable job, but it's not been connecting with the public."

National issues, not local concerns, had been much of the focus of the election and "democracy is weakened when that happens," he adds.

Image source, Owen Sennitt/BBC

Voters went to the polls for Norfolk County Council and a third of seats at Norwich City Council - but there was also a borough council seat up for grabs in Great Yarmouth.

This will decide who will represent Caister South, following the death of Malcolm Bird, a former town mayor and veteran councillor who died in February.

That count is expected to take place later, but meanwhile the county council count is about to begin.

There are nine divisions in the Great Yarmouth area, seven of which have been held by the Conservatives since the last election in 2021, two by Labour.

Clare Worden
BBC Radio Norfolk

Image source, Clare Worden/BBC

As we went to the polls on Thursday, the Conservatives had a stronghold on the county council in west Norfolk, with 12 of the 14 seats, and the remaining two held by independents.

Reform UK is expected to do well here - with some saying the party could take all seats.

In fact, an Independent has told me we should be calling this "Reformation Day" in west Norfolk.

Time will tell. The Norfolk County Council count is due to begin at 12:30 at Lynnsport.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Norwich City Council's Labour group said the redevelopment of Anglia Square was one of its major achievements and pointed to plans to redevelop the former Colman’s mustard factory site.

Housing was also important for the Greens, who said they wanted to improve council homes and the areas around them.

The Liberal Democrats said it was vital the voices of residents were heard in the process of creating the new Greater Norwich authority.

Reform UK did not have a local manifesto and said it wanted to investigate why the council had a debt of about £200m.

The Conservatives also took aim at council spending, highlight the loss of £6m on a house-building project in Bowthorpe.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Labour has led the council since 2006, and while it remains the largest party with 19 members, it does not have a majority.

It lost that in 2023 when four members quit the party.

The Greens are the main opposition with 15 councillors, the Liberal Democrats have three while there is one Independent.

In these elections Labour is defending seven seats it previously held, the Greens six and the Lib Dems one.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

The Conservatives said they stood by their record in power at Norfolk County Council, pointing to recently opened libraries, the Long Stratton bypass and the party has insisted it still wants to build the Norwich Western Link.

The Liberal Democrats said they were concerned Reform UK might seek to overturn plans for devolution, which they said would mean the loss of government funding for Norfolk.

Labour said there was a need for "sensible people" to run the council while the local government shake-up takes place.

The Greens attacked plans for huge solar farms planned by the government, although ultimately it is ministers who have final say on those, rather than the council.

While Reform did not put forward an election manifesto, it said it wanted to review the council’s debts – of about £885m – before making plans.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

All of the council’s 84 seats are up for grabs this year and a party needs 43 of those to claim a controlling majority.

These elections were supposed to take place last year, but were delayed by the government to allow for a major shakeup of local councils to take place with three unitary councils due to replace the existing two-tier set up of county and district councils.

Ministers planned to delay them again this year – until a legal challenge was made by Reform UK.

Assuming the reorganisation plans go ahead, the county council and district councils will cease to exist in two years' time and – along with Norfolk’s district councils.

Elections for those are due to take place next year.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Norwich City Council has been controlled by Labour for most of the last few decades, but it could lose its grip on power to the Greens.

First gaining seats on the council in 2002, the environmental party's stock has risen in recent years and they could end up as the largest party – or even win a majority.

If they achieve the latter, Norwich would become only the second council – after Mid Suffolk District Council – to be run by the Greens outright.

Reform UK is also seeking to make its first gains in the city.

Last year, Reform finished second in a by-election, just one vote behind Labour.