Labour suffers in county council elections

Labour has suffered humiliation in the local elections after the party lost its four remaining county councils to the Tories. Nottinghamshire was the last to fall as the Conservatives took control gaining nine seats while Labour - which had held the council since 1981 - lost 22. Earlier, Derbyshire fell after 28 years of rule, while Labour was also beaten by the Conservatives in Lancashire and Staffordshire. Overall, Labour appeared to be heading for total losses of around 300 seats while the Conservatives picked up more than 200. Labour lost 16 seats in Derbyshire as the Conservatives gained 19 to take a victory. In Lancashire, Labour lost 25 seats as the Tories picked up 18. It is the first time since 1981 that Labour has lost control of that council. The British National Party also picked up its first English county council seat in Lancashire, with Sharon Wilkinson defeating Labour's Marcus Johnstone in the Padiham and Burnley West ward. Staffordshire also fell to the Tories as they soared past the 32 seats needed to claim a majority, and were predicting a landslide victory there as Labour and the Liberal Democrats failed to make inroads. Elsewhere in the country Labour was trounced in the battle for Lincolnshire County Council, losing 17 seats as the Tories gained 15 and increased their strong hold on the authority. It also failed to gain a single councillor in newly-formed Central Bedfordshire, where the Tories took 54 of the 66 seats up for grabs. And the party lost eight seats in Bristol as the Liberal Democrats took overall control of the city. Elections for 34 English councils comprising 2,318 council seats took place on Thursday.. There have also been three mayoral contests in Doncaster, North Tyneside and Hartlepool. Tory leader David Cameron told activists in Devon his party was winning seats all over the country as early counting took place. "You can see the Conservative Party strong, united and positive, winning in every part of our country," Mr Cameron said. Mr Brown said Thursday's elections had been "a painful defeat for Labour". He said: "I am here to be totally candid, to accept my responsibilities and to set out what I intend to do. "The elections yesterday were a painful defeat for Labour. Too many good people doing so much good for their communities and their constituencies have lost through no fault of their own."

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ITN | June 5, 2009

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