News

As it happened: Reform UK win control of Nottinghamshire County Council

Reform UK have won control of Nottinghamshire County Council after gaining enough seats to command a majority and oust the Conservatives.

On Thursday (May 1) people in the county went to the polls to vote for local councillors in 66 seats across 55 local divisions.

Votes are being counted throughout Friday at council offices across the county. A final overall result is expected between 3pm and 4pm on Friday – but by 3pm, Reform had won the 34 seats needed to control the authority and win a historic first term at the council.

The result is being closely watched nationally as opinion polls indicate significant shifts in opinion away from Labour and the Conservatives towards Reform UK.

As seats were declared, the results indicated many voters had rejected the traditionally locally dominant parties of Labour and the Conservatives. Having held the authority for eight out of nine elections from 1981 – 2013, Labour are now a minority party at the council – with just four seats won by 3.30pm, when four were left to declare.

County councils are responsible for larger services such as adult and children’s social care, education, roads and waste disposal, whereas district and borough councils have more localised responsibilities such as waste collection and parks.

Our live blog below ran throughout Friday as we reported live from the counts and County Hall, West Bridgford, where the official results were collated and announced.

---

Key points 

• Reform UK have won 40 seats and overall control.
• Votes were counted on Friday following Thursday’s Nottinghamshire County Council election.
• Poll was one of 23 local elections across England held on May 1.
• The election has seen Nottinghamshire voters turn away from the two main parties – the Conservatives and Labour lost significant numbers of seats.
• In Ashfield, support for the Ashfield Independents on the county council has collapsed. Reform won all but one seat in Ashfield.
• Overnight, in counts for results in other areas in England, Reform UK also won some key areas – Greater Lincolnshire Mayor and Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election.

---

17.05 We’re now winding down this live blog. Our home page will shortly feature main write-ups of the overall result, and events in Ashfield and Broxtowe.

16.24 The only two seats undeclared are in Mansfield North – but this the area where the vote has been delayed following the death of  Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate Karen Seymour – so results for today are complete.

The final picture from today:

Reform UK: 40 Seats (+36 per cent vote share change)

Conservative Party: 17 (-21.6)

Labour Party: 4 (-12.3)

Ashfield Independents: 1 (-2.8)

Broxtowe Alliance: 1 (+2.2)

Broxtowe Independent: 1 (+1.6)

Of parties and other candidates who did not win any seats, the Green Party took the most votes overall (16,807), with the Liberal Democrats close behind on 15,301.

15.26 More from our interview with Conservative group Leader, Councillor Sam Smith, who has lost control of the council, and several veteran cabinet cabinet members and local Tory stalwarts, but defended his own seat to become leader of the opposition. He says one thing the Conservatives and Reform agree on is that parts of the county should not be folded into a new city council boundary as part of local Government reform – and also says it’s ‘really difficult’ for the Conservatives across the country.

15.22 Former Leader of the Labour group, Kate Foale, declined to speak to the Local Democracy Reporting Service at Notts TV after losing her seat. We’re currently trying to speak to another Labour representative. The party has four seats so far, with just four left to declare.

15.07 There it is – Reform are over that magic grey line of 34 seats to gain overall control of Nottinghamshire County Council. They’ve done it comfortably in the end. They have 36, with six still to be announced. There will be no need for any coalition – and this is now looking like a disaster locally for the Conservatives, and particularly Labour, who have just four seats so far.

14.58 BREAKING: Reform UK win control of Nottinghamshire County Council from the Conservatives. 

14.53 Sam Smith, the Conservative group leader who defended his county council seat, tells Notts TV he concedes defeat and describes himself as the new leader of the opposition at the council – suggesting he expects Reform UK to confirm overall control.

14.47 A look at the overall council picture so far – 50 seats have been announced, 16 are remaining. Reform UK are on 29 – just five short of a majority now. The Conservatives are on 17. Labout are still stuck on a single seat. The Ashfield Independent group at the County Council have been almost wiped out, defending just one of their ten seats.

14.44 The Conservative Party have officially lost control of Nottinghamshire County Council – because there not enough seats left to declare which would provide them with a majority as it stands. This means they best they could hope for is a Reform-led coalition.

14.00 Reform UK have won almost every seat in Ashfield – except one- Hucknall North – which remains an Ashfield Independent seat. The Ashfield Independents still control Ashfield District Council – which isn’t part of this election.

13.42 A look again at that overall picture. Reform aren’t there yet in winning overall control of the council – but they’re on their way. With 46 seats announced they have 26 seats so far – they need another eight seats of the remaining 20 to win control. The Conservatives are on 16. The Ashfield Independents and Labour are facing a virtual wipeout. They have just one seat each.

13.38 James Donovan Adrian Walker-Gurley, who won Eastwood for Reform, tells us: “This is definitely a springboard for Reform nationally. If we get full control of the council we’re going to be one of those councils in the country people will be looking at to make a difference. And if we do well, people are going to be looking at us and saying ‘well, look – Reform are serious'”

13.32 Verteran Tory Councillor Philip Owen tells us he’s “very upset” but adds: “The people have had their say and they’ve said they don’t want me – and I’ve got to move on from that.”

13.32 Nuthall and Kimberley Electoral Division: Reform GAIN Tory Cllr Philip Owen loses seat after 20 years. Labour: 804 Lib Dem: 106 Green: 165 Broxtowe Alliance: 287 Conservatives: 1086 Reform UK: 125.

13.04 VIDEO – Ashfield MP Lee Anderson reflects on his Reform UK party making significant gains in Ashfield and across Nottinghamshire.

He tells us: “We’ve been building our branch up, we’ve been campaigning, the hard work has paid off.

“People want real change, they want a little bit of honesty in politics.

“It’s democracy – the best people have won on the day.”

13.02 – We’re now more than half way through the number of seats declared, and Reform are taking a big lead over the Conservatives. Reform have 19 seats, the Conservatives are on 12, and each of the Ashfield Independents, the Broxtowe Alliance and Labour have one seat. 34 is the magic number for an overall majority.

13.00 – Another Reform gain in Ashfield as district council deputy leader Helen-Ann Smith loses to Cathy Mason – a former Labour councillor who now represents Reform on the district council. Full result below:

Sutton North

Cathy Mason, Reform UK – 2,362 (Winner)
Arran Rangi, Green – 137
Helen-Ann Smith, Ash Inds – 1,008
Keith Townsend, Local Conservatives – 91
George Watson, Labour Party – 105

12.55 – Ashfield’s Reform UK MP Lee Anderson is in attendance at the district’s count as his party make huge gains on the county council.

12.53 – Ashfield Independents manage to keep hold of one of their seats – this time in Hucknall North through veteran Councillor John Wilmott. But they’ve also lost Sutton Central to Reform. Results below:

Hucknall North:

Martin Alan Howes, Lib Dem’s – 178
Aimee Elizabeth Kimpton, Labour – 438
Rachel Elizabeth Kotze, Local Conservatives – 277
Sean Richard Neale, Reform UK – 1,001
John Morton Anthony Wilmott, Ash Ind – 1,231 (Winner)

Sutton Central

Paul Craddock, Ash Inds – 950
Jack Stuart Middleton, Conservatives – 146
Ethan Tyler Revill, Labour and Co-operative Party – 293
Joseph Rich, Reform UK – 1,644 (Winner)

12.50 – Let’s take a snapshot at 28 seats. Reform are ahead on 14, with the Conservatives on 11 and Labour and the Broxtowe Alliance on one. There are still 38 more results to count – but Reform are taking an early lead.

12.47 – Labour Group leader Kate Foale loses her seat in Beeston Central and Rylands to the new Broxtowe Alliance party (made up of several former Labour Party members). Result below:

Teresa Cullen, Brox Alliance – 1,035 (winner)
Kate Foale, Labour – 1,008
Neil Isted, Reform – 798
Andrew Ashham, Conservatives – 431
Tom Stanton , Green – 391
Patricia Taylor, Lib Dem – 191

12.45 – Another Reform gain in Ashfield – with another defeat for the Ashfield Independents. This time, Reform has taken Kirkby South. Result below:

Kirkby South

Rory Green, Reform UK – 2,082 (winner)
Christopher John Huskinson, Ash Ind – 684
Paul Raymond Linfield, Green – 54
Julia Long, Labour – 588
Jeffery Self, Conservatives – 101

39.37% turnout

12.41 – Ashfield District Council leader – and former Notts County Council opposition leader – Jason Zadrozny reflects on losing his seat to Reform. 

12.38 – Two BIG gains for Reform in Ashfield, firstly in Selston where Dawn Justice has unseated Ashfield Independent David Martin. Plus in Sutton West, Ashfield District Council deputy leader Tom Hollis has also lost to Reform. Results below:

Selston

Tai Adegbite, Labour Party – 279
Will Grover, Conservatives – 125
Dawn Justice, Reform UK – 2,389 (Winner)
David Bernard Martin, Ashfield Independents – 1,156
Margret Ann Wilson, Green Party- 201

42.7% turnout

Sutton West

Terry Cox, Reform UK – 2,120 (Winner)
Elaine Havercroft, Green Party – 117
Tom Hollis, Ash Ind – 1,332
Stefan Lamb, Labour Party – 338
Steve Walmsley, Conservative Party – 74

Turnout – 49.75%

12.28 – ANOTHER Reform gain in Ashfield as Lee Waters (Ash Ind) is unseated by Darro Darrington in Hucknall South to take their third seat so far in the district. Result below:

Patrick Stephen Ayres, Labour – 457
Darro Darrington, Reform UK – 1,289 (Winner)
James Alan Harvey, Liberal Democrat’s – 127
Jan Lees, Local Conservatives – 208
Lee Waters, Ash Ind – 1,081

33.2% turnout

12.27 15 results have now been declared, with the Conservatives currently holding eight seats, Reform on six seats and Labour on one.

12.23 Full result Ashfields

Alan Bite, Reform UK: 1,687 (Winner)
John Coxhead, Labour: 311
Dawn Hodgman, Conservatives: 81
Kerry Thornton, Independent: 183
Jason Zadrozny, Ash Ind: 1,015

Turnout: 37%

12.21 Big news in Ashfield. Ashfield Independents Leader, Jason Zadrozny, has lost his county council seat in the Ashfields division to Reform UK’s Alan Bite – who won 51 per cent of the vote.

12.18 Let’s pause for a snapshot, with 11 seats announced, 55 to go. It’s a strong start for the Conservative defence – but a telling series of gains for Reform. Conservatives on seven seats, Reform three and Labour one. Remember 34 is the number needed to win control of the council.

12.16 Lots of results coming in now from areas besides Rushcliffe. Kirkby North is a Reform GAIN, Balderton is a Conservative HOLD, West Bridgford West is also a Tory HOLD.

12.12 Full result in Newark West saw Desmond Clarke (Ref) take 35.9 per cent of the vote, beating Conservative veteran Keith Girling – the cabinet member for economic development. 

12.11 And Reform UK have their second seat – Newark West. Full result in a moment. 

12.09 Our first Reform gain of the day has arrived in Ollerton – David Clark is ELECTED. Taking the seat from Labour’s Mike Pringle with 51 per cent of the vote and a majority of 940.

12.07 More images coming in from the team in Broxtowe – candidates and party officials watch over the cote counting. Photos here by Tommy Bonnet.

11.58 Keyworth ward result: Linda Abbey (LD) 370 John Cottee (Con) 1,833 ELECTED James Coyle (Lab) 429 Shelley Millband (Ind) 536 Neil Pinder (Green) 248 Darren Sharpe (Reform) 746. This is another Conservative hold in Rushcliffe – the Tories are defending well in that area so far, albeit with smaller majorities.

11.54 And from the count in Ashfield – at Kirkby Leisure Centre. No results from here yet – but it’s an area where Reform are expected to dent Ashfield Independent and Labour support.

11.53 More from the count at Broxtowe here – pace is picking up in the counting of ballot papers

 

11.47 We’ve had four results announced now – 62 to go. Three Conservative holds and a Labour hold so far. No change politically in the very limited number of seats decided.

11.46 Radcliffe ward result: Adrian Barker (Reform) 689 John Hess (Lab) 1,032 Rhiana Lakin (Green) 407 Roger Upton (Con) 1,717 ELECTED – another Conservative hold. 

11.45 Bingham West ward result: Ted Birch (Rushcliffe Independent) 636 Neil Clarke (Con) 1,093 ELECTED Amber Edwards-Smith (Green) 232 Kevin Thompson (Reform) 677 Tony Wallace (Lab) 454. Key hold for the Tories that – veteran Clarke is the cabinet member for Transport and Environment at the council.

11.40 More results coming now – West Bridgford North ward result: Darius Furmonavicius (Con) 874 Penny Gowland (Lab) 1,518 ELECTED Glen Hale (Reform) 397 Keith Jamieson (LD) 133 Richard Mallender (Green) 1,257

11.22 We have our first result of the day. Cotgrave ward result: Richard Butler (Con) 1,151 ELECTED Keir Chewings (Rushcliffe Independent) 706 Sara Dellar (LD) 111 Brenning Jones(Green) 137 Tech Keong Khong (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom) 12 Michael Symonds (Lab) 370 Keith Walters (Reform) 664. This is a Conservative HOLD.

11.21 We’re hearing our first seat result is due soon. Cotgrave (Rushcliffe) incoming….

11.17 Overall turnout for Broxtowe was 39 per cent – this is the percentage of people entitled to vote in the area who actually went out and voted – put simply about four out of ten people who could vote did so yesterdayy. The Bramcote and Beeston North division had the highest individual turnout of 45 per cent. Worth pointing out that local election turnouts are almost always lower than General Elections.

11.13 Over in Broxtowe, vote counting has started. Ballot papers for the area are being counted at  Redeemer Church, Old Town Hall, on Foster Avenue in Beeston. Local Democracy Reporter Lauren Monaghan just sent use this video of council staff opening ballot boxes and starting to count.

11.00 Elsewhere in the country overnight, the big development has been some significant wins for Reform UK, reflecting national opinion polls which put them ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. They’ve won the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor race – Dame Andrea Jenkyns beat Conservative candidate Rob Waltham by almost 40,000 votes. In a Runcorn and Helsby by-election to elect an MP, they beat Labour, Sarah Pochin so becoming the fifth Reform UK MP in Parliament. Reform have fielded candidates in every seat in this Nottinghamshire County Council election, and are expected to gain ground.

10.57 There are 23 local election results coming in nationwide today. Some areas counted overnight, so in some areas results are already known. Nottinghamshire, like most of the 23, is counting its votes and announcing the results today, from around 11am onwards.

10.55 How it works today: Votes are being counted at local council venues in each individual county district – Rushcliffe, Gedling, Broxtowe, Newark and Sherwood, Ashfield, Mansfield and Bassetlaw, then fed back to County Hall, the council’s historic headquarters building in West Bridgford, where a final result will be collated and announced publicly. As individual seat results come in, we are expecting to have a final picture between 3pm and 4pm today.

10.35 The council, which is responsible for schools, roads, adult and child social care and waste disposal across the county are, among other things, is currently controlled by the Conservatives by a majority of just one seat. The big questions are – can they hold control? If not, will Labour or one of the other parties win enough seats the wrestle it from them – or – as lots of officials are suggesting privately – will it be very close and lead to a situation where no party has won enough seats to reach the magic number of 34 to form a majority? In this case, we are likely to enter a period of talks between groups about forming a coalition – an co-operative partnership politically – to share power and therefore run the council.

10.30 A reminder yesterday’s poll was only open to voters in the county – to elect local councillors into 66 seats on Nottinghamshire County Council. The votes are actually being counted today – and we’re expecting some kind of overall result between 3pm and 4pm.

10.10 Today’s live blog is being edited by Chris Breese and Andrew Topping. Our Local Democracy Reporters are Joe Locker at County Hall, Lauren Monaghan at Broxtowe, and Latifa Yedroudj at Ashfield. We also have video journalist Lucy Marshall at County Hall, alongside Harrison Evans. Tommy Bonnet and George Palmer-Soady are assisting with reporting at Broxtowe and Ashfield respectively.

10.00 Good morning. Welcome to our live coverage of Friday’s local election results in Nottinghamshire. Strap yourselves in. This County Council vote looks likely to be a wild and unpredictable ride, politically, going by results from overnight.