Labour losses as city stays in no overall control

5 hours ago

Shariqua Ahmedin Peterborough

Shariqua Ahmed/BBC A man in a blue suit, a woman in a red top and white jacket, and another woman in a black top and burgundy jacket - all smiling and pointing thumbs up while at a lectern. — Labour's Samantha Hemraj (centre) retained her East seat, pictured next to the group leader Shabina Qayyum (right)

Peterborough's Labour MP said his party had "seen better nights" in the city but remained optimistic, after local elections saw Labour lose four of the six seats it was defending.

Andrew Pakes said the results showed Labour was "still standing" but it now had 11 seats at Peterborough City Council compared to the Tories' 13, making the latter the largest party.

Reform UK gained four seats on the night, taking their total to five, while the Greens also gained one and they now have six councillors.

The Liberal Democrats and Peterborough First both have eight seats and there are nine independents, leaving the council in no overall control.

A widescreen shot, taken from a balcony, of the election count, with many people sat at tables and party members chatting. There is a stage on the right. — The Peterborough count was held at Kingsgate Centre, with the final result declared at about 03:00 BST

Discussions will now take place between groups over how the authority will be run, with Labour previously running the administration in coalition with the Liberal Democrats and Peterborough First.

In total, 18 of the 60 council seats were contested, with an overall voter turnout of 35.24%.

The Conservatives performed better than many had predicted, emerging as the largest party on the council after gaining three seats compared to just before the election, to take their total to 13.

Conservative leader Wayne Fitzgerald said the results proved the party was "well and truly alive" in the city.

"We're not dead. We're not going anywhere and the others need to watch out. They need to work hard because we're coming after the seats," he said.

Shariqua Ahmed/BBC Wayne Fitzgerald smiling for the camera. He has short white hair and is wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt and a blue blazer. — Wayne Fitzgerald said it was a better than expected night for the Tories in Peterborough

Reform UK party members described the result as a strong night, but some admitted they had hoped to win more seats.

John Robert Bolton, who won the Bretton seat from the Conservatives, said the result was "a reflection that the two parties that have led for over a hundred years have failed yet again".

Shariqua Ahmed/BBC John Robert Bolton wearing a white shirt and grey waistcoat, giving a thumbs up to the media. — Reform UK's John Robert Bolton said he was looking forward to the new challenge

The Labour group retained East ward and Central ward.

However, it lost North ward, Dogsthorpe and Park ward - all of which were won by the Conservatives.

Labour also lost Fletton and Woodston, which was won by the Green Party.

The Labour group leader, Shabina Qayyum, said: "I thought a good night for us was going to be to defend three of the six seats - we won two.

"But also I think that Peterborough is unique in that the electorate have come together and voted for mainstream parties more than they have of the extreme politics of Reform, and that has been quite refreshing to see."

Shariqua Ahmed/BBC Shabina Qayyum with black shoulder-length hair wearing a burgundy jacket, smiling for camera. — Shabina Qayyum said it was "incredibly tragic" to lose North ward

Pakes added: "I'm really pleased that we come out of this as a group that's still standing.

"There's been some disappointments - I know lots of people have put huge amounts of work into this and sometimes they fall short in elections, not because they're bad candidates but because the national picture hasn't helped us."