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| Reform UK takes control of Staffordshire County Council | Reform UK takes control of Staffordshire County Council |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Reform UK candidates in Newcastle-under-Lyme were among those across the county celebrating | Reform UK candidates in Newcastle-under-Lyme were among those across the county celebrating |
| Reform UK has beaten the Conservatives in Staffordshire's local elections and secured the votes needed to claim control of the county council. | Reform UK has beaten the Conservatives in Staffordshire's local elections and secured the votes needed to claim control of the county council. |
| The party now has 39 council seats and they needed 32 for a majority. They won 42% of the votes. | |
| Going into the election, Reform had no councillors in the county and the Conservatives held 53 of the 62 seats. | |
| More results are still to be announced. | More results are still to be announced. |
| Across the county, The Conservatives currently hold 10 seats, while Labour, the Green Party and Stafford Borough Independents have one seat each. | |
| Martin Murray, Reform UK Staffordshire County coordinator and new councillor for Cannock town, said he was "ecstatic". | Martin Murray, Reform UK Staffordshire County coordinator and new councillor for Cannock town, said he was "ecstatic". |
| "We will deliver continuation of services without change," he said. | "We will deliver continuation of services without change," he said. |
| "We will do what is right for everybody. In time we will improve those services and give you better value for money." | "We will do what is right for everybody. In time we will improve those services and give you better value for money." |
| The new council leader has not yet been decided, he told the BBC. | The new council leader has not yet been decided, he told the BBC. |
| Councillor Martin Murray says he was "ecstatic" at the result | Councillor Martin Murray says he was "ecstatic" at the result |
| For Dan Jellyman, the leader of the Conservative opposition on Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the votes represent "a massive rejection of the two-party system". | |
| He said people cared more about things like "potholes in the streets, bin collections, and grass cutting" than clever political campaigns. | |
| Councillor Dan Jellyman says there has been a massive rejection of both the Conservatives and Labour | |
| Jill Hood, won an Independent seat for Stone Urban eight years ago and managed to secure the seat today, beating her Reform UK challenger by more than 300 votes. | |
| She described it as " a continuation, not a new start." | |
| Reflecting on Reform UK's recent success, she added: "I never thought it would be easy, it never is, but to see what Reform UK are doing, I came along to the count [feeling] very nervous and thought it was going to be really close." | |
| Independent councillor Jill Hood secured a seat in the Stone Urban ward | |
| Ahead of this election the Conservatives held 53 seats, Labour had five and four were held by independent councillors. | |
| Council leader Alan White was among the high profile losses for the Conservatives, losing his Lichfield Rural East seat to Reform UK. | Council leader Alan White was among the high profile losses for the Conservatives, losing his Lichfield Rural East seat to Reform UK. |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme Reform UK chairman Ken Owen said he thought voters were disillusioned with the other major parties. | Newcastle-under-Lyme Reform UK chairman Ken Owen said he thought voters were disillusioned with the other major parties. |
| Ken Owen, Reform UK's Newcastle-under-Lyme chair, said the party would take its time to appoint the right people to the key posts | Ken Owen, Reform UK's Newcastle-under-Lyme chair, said the party would take its time to appoint the right people to the key posts |
| "[It was] a remarkable night, not only for Reform UK candidates, but I think the people of Staffordshire have sent a message to the current sort of administration," he said. | "[It was] a remarkable night, not only for Reform UK candidates, but I think the people of Staffordshire have sent a message to the current sort of administration," he said. |
| He added that no decisions had yet been made about who might be appointed to key roles within the council. | He added that no decisions had yet been made about who might be appointed to key roles within the council. |
| "Reform UK have got a strong team of people behind the scenes, and I'm sure we'll be talking about that over the next day or two," he told the BBC. | "Reform UK have got a strong team of people behind the scenes, and I'm sure we'll be talking about that over the next day or two," he told the BBC. |
| LIVE: Follow the latest election updates | LIVE: Follow the latest election updates |
| AT A GLANCE: What happened in local elections overnight and what's still to come? | AT A GLANCE: What happened in local elections overnight and what's still to come? |
| POSTCODE LOOKUP: Check the results in your area | POSTCODE LOOKUP: Check the results in your area |
| Reform gained eight of the nine seats in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Thursday's elections. | Reform gained eight of the nine seats in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Thursday's elections. |
| Simon Tagg, Newcastle Borough Council leader, was the sole survivor among the Conservative county councillors in the borough. | Simon Tagg, Newcastle Borough Council leader, was the sole survivor among the Conservative county councillors in the borough. |
| "Long-standing councillors are losing their seats, not only across this county but across the area," he said. | "Long-standing councillors are losing their seats, not only across this county but across the area," he said. |
| "I think it shows the dissatisfaction with the two parties - Labour and Conservatives." | "I think it shows the dissatisfaction with the two parties - Labour and Conservatives." |
| He added that his party had been unpopular in its final years in national government, and that people were looking for a change or a protest vote. | He added that his party had been unpopular in its final years in national government, and that people were looking for a change or a protest vote. |
| Meanwhile, in Tamworth voters also backed Reform, with all five of the town's divisions declaring for the party. | Meanwhile, in Tamworth voters also backed Reform, with all five of the town's divisions declaring for the party. |
| Reform overturned five Conservative seats, and received more than 50% of the vote in four areas. The closest race was in the Perrycrofts division, where Reform had a majority of 500. | Reform overturned five Conservative seats, and received more than 50% of the vote in four areas. The closest race was in the Perrycrofts division, where Reform had a majority of 500. |
| Coming into the election, all six county council divisions were held by the Conservatives following their strong performance in 2021. | Coming into the election, all six county council divisions were held by the Conservatives following their strong performance in 2021. |
| Since the last local election, boundary changes have seen Tamworth lose one county councillor. | Since the last local election, boundary changes have seen Tamworth lose one county councillor. |
| Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. | Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. |
| The Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations, helped gather this news. | The Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations, helped gather this news. |