All the Derbyshire County Council election results as they happen - as Reform has taken over control of the council with a monumental win

Road repairs, special educational needs, buses, social care and potential bankruptcy were the key battlegrounds being fought out in the Derbyshire County Council elections

Counting will start later today after Derbyshire residents cast their votes at the ballot box.

More than 350 candidates in the county will be competing to clinch one of 64 seats up for grabs across 64 divisions.

The current Conservative administration is looking to keep control at County Hall, as the last Tory stronghold in the region after Labour has largely seized power across the district and borough local authorities and after Labour MPs seized control of all Derbyshire’s constituencies in last year’s General Election.

The candidate lists show that the Conservatives, Labour and Reform UK have selected candidates for all 64 available county seats, with the Liberal Democrats competing in all but eight and the Green Party contesting all but 12 divisions.

Among the candidates are 36 independents, six members of Chesterfield Independents, six members of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, two members of Belper Independents, one National Front member and one Homeland Party member.

Since the last county council election, held in 2021, new boundaries have been introduced by The Local Government Boundary Commission with changes to usual wards.

There are 64 seats to be contested across Derbyshire today - as opposed to 61 before. Additionally just one councillor is set to represent each division, while historically three Derbyshire wards have had two councillors.

Counting has now started across all 64 Derbyshire seats and the results are expected from around 3pm.

The current Conservative administration is looking to keep control in the county as the last Tory stronghold in the region after Labour MPs seized control of all Derbyshire’s constituencies in last year’s General Election.

Derbyshire County Council is one of 24 councils – including 14 county, eight unitary, one metropolitan district as well as the Isles of Scilly’s governance – in England taking part in local elections .

The Liberal Democrats have been buoyed ahead of the Derbyshire County Council election results after they won a separate by-election for the Brampton East and Boythorpe seat at Chesterfield Borough Council.

Liberal Democrat Keith Falconer secured the seat as Labour came in third place while Reform UK came in second place and the Conservative candidate came in sixth place.

Cllr Paul Holmes, Leader of Chesterfield Liberal Democrats at the Labour-controlled council, said: “I am delighted to welcome Keith back on to the borough council where he rejoins his wife Glenys Falconer in representing his community.

“Keith was first elected to represent what was then called Holmebrook Ward, in a by election in 1986. I was helping at that election and I was pleased to be organising this election some 39 years later.

“Keith has represented the area for 26 of the last 39 years and will continue to provide the excellent local service his neighbours have always received.”

In the Derbyshire County Council election, the count has started shortly after midday today, May 2, across each of the eight districts and boroughs with the results due to roll-out by later this afternoon.

The Conservative Party has held control of the county council since 2017 and during the last term boasted 40 seats to Labour’s 15, the Liberal Democrats’ four, Amber Valley Independents’ two, Independents’ two and the Green Party’s one councillor.

Reform’s Darran Furness has gained first county council seat at the Codnor, Aldercar, Langley Mill & Loscoe division.

It was a landslide win for Reform as Furness gathered over 1500 votes - almost a thousand more than Labour’s runner up Paul Jones who had 526 votes.

Full results for Codnor, Aldercar, Langley Mill & Loscoe division are as follows:

Furness - Ref - 1524 Jones - Lab - 526 Gilbert - Con - 477 Rose - Ind - 260 Mayson - Gre - 185 Miles - Lib Dem - 124 Knowles - National Front - 18

Our Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell is reporting live from Swadlincote.

Reform have got all five seats announced so far in Derbyshire. All of these are the first Derbyshire county councillors for Reform to be appointed at elections.

They previously had two councillors but they had been elected as Conservatives before switching parties and resigning.

So far results for 14 out of 64 seats have been announced in Derbyshire and all have been claimed by Reform.

Labour Group leader on Derbyshire County Council Joan Dixon has lost her seat in Bolsover to Reform UK's Carol Wood. Wood had double the number of Dixon’s votes.

Reform has won the seat for Alfreton and Somercotes as well.

Results are as follows: Bent - Reform - 1476 Sherman - Lab - 622 Tomlinson - Con - 437 Hubber - Green - 190

Joan Dixon, Labour Group leader on Derbyshire County Council has lost her seat in Bolsover to Reform’s Carol Wood.

Full results for Bolsover division:

Carol Wood - Reform UK - 1641

Joan Dixon - Labour and Co-operative - 871

Will Fletcher - Conservative - 372

Mike Noble - Green Party -135

Dorothy Dobbs - Liberal Democrat - 108

Tom Batten -Homeland Party - 84

Jon Dale - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -62

So far local election results have been announced for 23 Derbyshire seats - and none of them have been taken by Labour candidates.

Reform is leading the way with 19 seats so far, followed by Conservatives with three seats and Green Party with one.

Results for Buxton North East are as follows:

Melandra Smith - Reform - 1075

Rachael Quinn - Labour - 942

Frederick Walton - Conservatives - 566

Lisa Adamson - Green Party - 349

Louise Glasscoe - Liberal Democrat - 187

Reform’s Stephen Reed took the Clay Cross seat with 1353 votes, followed by John Cooper from Labour with 747 votes and Conservative’s Yvonne Shaw who gathered 726 votes.

Eddie Bisknell is reporting from Swadlincote. Talk on the ground is that Reform UK may gain a major number of councillors and even gain control of the whole council.

Some seats may buck the general trend where there are standout independent councillors. Results are confirming this so far.

Turnout in the Derbyshire Dales averages 44.68% - that's higher than the overall average across the county in 2021 which was 39%. The highest turnout was 45.46% in Wirksworth.

In Matlock Sue Burfoot has won the first Derbyshire seat for Liberal Democrats. She received impressive 2007 votes, followed by Reform’s Juliette Stevens with 974 votes and Labour’s Sarah Halliwell with 439 votes.

Derbyshire results are following the national trend as Reform UK has gained most of the seats in the county so far with the total of 24 councillors.

This is three times more than Conservatives who are currently second with eight seats.

Labour has won two seats so far, the same number as the independent candidates.

Green Party and Liberal Democrats have one seat each.

Successful Reform candidate in Melbourne Charlotte Hill said: “It is looking really positive for Reform across the county and we could potentially take control of the council and the more councillors the better."

She said the ‘Farage effect’ made a ‘big difference’.