136 of 136 councils Counting complete
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The Conservatives have lost control of West Sussex County Council, where no single party has a majority
Reform UK have become the largest party on East Sussex County Council, but do not have enough seats to form a majority
The Greens have won control of Hastings Borough Council
The Lib Dems have held Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and will control the new councils in West Surrey and East Surrey when they launch next year
Labour have held Crawley Borough Council and Adur District Council, but have lost control of Worthing Borough Council, where no single party has a majority
While we will focus on the South East, you can also keep across what is happening across the UK here and find results in your area here
Lucinda Adam
Sussex political reporter
Image source, Angela CraneIt's not just voters with high turnout here - a swarm of wasps has come to the doorway of Worthing Leisure Centre where three election counts are under way.
Returning officer Paul Brewer has advised candidates and agents not to go outside until it's dealt with.
Surrey political reporter Jack Fiehn has confirmed votes for the new West Surrey Council are now being counted.
He said: "The counts for the seats on the new unitary authorities are being carried out in the different borough and districts - as they would if this was a county council election.
"Two areas have been designated as 'hubs', where the results for east and west Surrey are being collated. The one for West Surrey Council is here in Runnymede."
Results for West Surrey Council are due at 18:00 BST.
Current councillors recently agreed that the west Surrey authority should be named West Surrey and South Middlesex Council. This is because Middlesex was absorbed by Greater London in 1965, apart from the borough of Spelthorne, which would fall under Surrey.
Spelthorne MP Lincoln Jopp said the name would reflect "that Spelthorne is different to Surrey".
The name will still need approval from government.
Lucinda Adam
Sussex political reporter
Voting turnout for both the county and district elections in Adur, West Sussex, is 47% - significantly higher than previous local elections.
There was an audible “wow” in the counting room when the figure was announced.
There are reports of long queues at some polling stations yesterday, with voters snaking down the road.
The Conservatives are defending 29 years of leadership of West Sussex County Council.
Meanwhile, Labour is defending its control of three borough councils – Worthing, Adur and Crawley – in elections for a half or third of councillors.
Early morning voters in Byfleet were given the wrong ballot papers at the West Surrey election.
The issue is thought to have affected about 20 people and could raise potential problems if the final counts are tight.
The problem is described as an “isolated issue” by West Surrey Council’s deputy returning officer.
The error was spotted early in the day, and it is understood to have only affected people who voted between 07:00 and 08:00 BST.
Counting is carrying on as normal with a result expected later today. A decision will then be taken as to what steps to take.
If there is a clear winner, the vote will stand. But if the race is close, it could be an early headache for the new council to resolve, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.
What were people voting for on Thursday?
BBC South East's political editor Helen Catt explains all you need to know about Thursday's vote.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe polls closed at 22:00 BST on Thursday and the ballots are being counted.
Results announcements are due to begin this afternoon and will go on into the early evening. Here's when you should expect results for each council:
West Sussex
East Sussex
The new Surrey councils will be announced at 18:00. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is due at 16:00.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the results of the 2026 local elections.
People in Surrey, Sussex, and Tunbridge Wells in Kent went to the polls on Thursday.
In Surrey, they voted for the councillors to represent them on the county's new east and west councils, which will replace the county, district and borough councils from April 2027.
In Sussex, there were elections for the two county councils. There were also district and borough council elections in Crawley, Hastings, Adur and Worthing. Brighton & Hove City Council was not included.
Just Tunbridge Wells Borough Council took part for Kent.
We'll bring you the results, reactions and interviews with residents about the changes they are hoping the new councillors can make.