Election

England council results

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136 of 136 councils

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Summary

  • Live results and reaction to the local elections across Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes

  • Milton Keynes City Council returns to no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats now the largest party with 20 councillors

  • Liberal Democrats win all 12 seats up for re-election on Watford Borough Council

  • Little changed at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, with Labour retaining its position as the largest party, but no party winning overall control

  • Labour retains control of Stevenage Borough Council

  • The Liberal Democrats hold St Albans City and District Council, with 19 of its councillors elected

  • No party has won overall control on Three Rivers District Council

  • Broxbourne declared its result overnight, where the Conservatives held on to the council

  • Earlier, Keir Starmer says he's "not going to walk away" after early English council results show Reform picking up seats in former Labour heartlands - here's where things currently stand across the country

Live Reporting

Updates by Danny Fullbrook, with Amy Holmes, Martin Heath, Laura Coffey and Nicola Haseler at election counts. Edited by Christiana Bishop

  1. Good day so far for Lib Dems in Welwyn Hatfield

    The Liberal Democrats have held on to their seats in Peartree and Welham Green and Hatfield South, with slightly reduced voter numbers.

    The Conservatives kept both of their seats in the Welwyn East ward.

    The Reform UK have scored their second victory, with Callum Powell taking Hollybush ward from Labour.

    Three Conservative candidates, two men and a woman, applauding following the result in Welwyn East. A counter is sitting at a desk behind them.Martin Heath/BBC

    The Conservatives have held on to their seats in Welwyn East

  2. Reform UK take first seat at Welwyn Hatfield

    Martin Heath
    BBC Three Counties

    Reform UK have scored their first victory at the count for Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

    John Redmond took Haldens ward with 632 votes, pushing Labour into second place with 513.

    The Liberal Democrats have held onto Peartree Ward with their candidate, Duncan Jones, collecting 701 votes.

    A group of candidates assembled at a small podium at an election countMartin Heath/BBC

    Candidates gathered for the first result of the day in Welwyn Hatfield

  3. Analysis

    What effect has the plan for a council shake-up had on this election?

    Martin Heath
    BBC Three Counties

    The government's plans to scrap Hertfordshire's councils have already had quite an impact on politics in Welwyn Hatfield.

    The council is controlled by a joint Labour and Liberal Democrat administration, which almost fell apart over the proposals.

    The full council and the cabinet clashed over how many unitary councils should be created, and over whether this year's elections should go ahead.

    The coalition agreement just managed to survive after the Labour leader resigned, but the squabbling may have influenced voters.

    A Welwyn Garden City sign, showing a picture of a Elizabethan knot garden. The sign is standing on a grass verge which hosts some small shrubs. There is a road to the right and a path to the left, lined by trees and a low wooden fence.Brian Farmer/BBC

    Behind the charm of one of England's first garden cities, there has been some unseemly political bickering

  4. Turnout of 41.2% announced at Welwyn Hatfield

    Martin Heath
    BBC Three Counties

    The returning officer, Ka Ng, has announced a turnout figure of 41.2%, as counting gets under way at Roller City in Welwyn Garden City.

    That compares to 32.7% for the council elections in 2024 and is an unusually high figure for a local poll.

    No party has overall control of the council, and it has been run by a Labour/Liberal Democrat alliance which has been fragile because of disagreements between the two parties.

    With 17 seats up for grabs today, there could be a big impact on the way Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is run.

    The entrance to Roller City, with a board advertising Skate Lessons to the left and yellow railings to the right, with people gathered for a count beyond.Martin Heath/BBC

    Roller City provides the rather unusual venue for this year's count

  5. When will the other results come in?

    Danny Fullbrook
    Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

    Results are coming in across England and there's plenty more to come this afternoon - so get the snacks in.

    We're expecting to hear further results in our region later today.

    Welwyn Hatfield is expected to declare at about 14:00 BST, followed by Three Rivers at about 15:00.

    Elsewhere, the picture in Milton Keynes, St Albans, Stevenage and Watford may not start to become clear until closer to 17:00.

    As ever with counts, those timings aren't fixed - delays or recounts can push things back - but we'll keep you up-to-speed with the latest.

  6. Reform end up with same number of councillors

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Three Counties

    Meanwhile, Reform UK ended the night with two Broxbourne councillors - the same number they started it with.

    Giles Hall and Siobhan Monaghan had defected from the Conservatives last year, and Hall remains a councillor but stood in a different seat (Rosedale and Bury Green) whilst Giorgio Daniel won for Reform UK in Hoddesdon Town and Rye Park.

    Broxbourne countChristopher Day/LDRS

    Giles Hall and Giorgio Daniel, the two Reform UK councillors on Broxbourne Borough Council

    However, Monaghan lost the Cheshunt South and Theobolds seat, which returned to the Conservatives.

    She said: "Whilst we haven't necessarily made a stride forward in the seat number, we've made a stride forward in the representation numbers because we've seen a massive turnout and we've come from nowhere.

    "We've come second across the board where we haven't won, except Waltham Cross where we pushed the Conservatives into third. So we're seeing that as a massive milestone."

    In terms of her own seat, she said: "I still only lost by 200. And I gave, again, Reform voters a voice and a name. And I'm not going to let them get down. They didn't let me down. And I will not let them down. And my name will be on that box next year."

  7. Broxbourne 'bucks the national trend' - Tory MP

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Three Counties

    In the only overnight set of results in Beds, Herts and Bucks, the Conservatives have held on to Broxbourne Council.

    Mathematically they couldn't lose it, as only a third of councillors were standing, and the overall picture stays the same with 25 Conservatives on the authority, 3 Labour and 2 for Reform UK.

    Broxbourne countChristopher Day/LDRS

    Broxbourne MP, Conservative Lewis Cocking, hugs Mark Perkins, newly elected Conservative councillor for Broxbourne and Hoddesdon South

    Speaking at the count to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Conservative MP for Broxbourne, Lewis Cocking - who is also the former leader of the authority - said: "Broxbourne once again has bucked the national trend, and we really campaign hard for the residents here and fight for the people and we always stand up for what they want and their needs locally, so I'm incredibly happy."

    He added: "We run a really good local council with Conservative values at the heart of it, and that is what Kemi Badenoch is doing to the Conservative Party. She's putting our core values back together."

  8. Welcome to our election coverage

    Danny Fullbrook
    Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

    Good morning - and welcome to our coverage of the local election results across Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.

    It's already been a busy night, with results for Broxbourne being declared in the early hours.

    We'll bring you all the latest reaction and more from the counting stations across the region throughout today - so stick with us.