Reform UK has won an overall majority at Derbyshire County Council
Conservative council leader Barry Lewis loses his seat
Labour leader Joan Dixon also beaten by Reform candidate
Turnout was 36.2% down from 39% at the previous election
Thank you for joining us for our updates on the local council elections in Derbyshire. Our live coverage has now finished.
Keep checking the BBC News website for further developments over the coming days and weeks.
Peter Saull
Political editor, BBC East Midlands
Local politicians of all parties expected Reform to do well, but few thought the results would be this emphatic.
Nigel Farage’s party now has big working majorities in both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire – and is also comfortably the largest party in Leicestershire.
I’m at County Hall in Notts, where at times it’s felt like a wake – because only Conservative councillors have made it in to the central results hub.
Image source, LDRSReform has had a sensational day, but as one local Tory put it to me: “Nigel Farage can’t lead all of these councils from London.”
The party still doesn’t have local group leaders and it’s unclear what the process will be, in the coming days, to elect new council leaders.
In Leicestershire a deal may have to be struck with the Conservatives to get things done.
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
We've also heard from Angelique Foster, who was the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Derbyshire between 2021 and 2024.
Despite the huge swing to Reform, she won her seat of Dronfield Woodhouse and Walton with 1,749 votes.
She told the BBC the Conservative party's national performance had affected what had happened locally for them.
"People have said it is a protest vote - they are not happy with what is happening nationally and they couldn't put a cross by the Conservative name," she said.
"What the Conservatives have not delivered nationally has affected all local communities across Derbyshire."
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
Joan Dixon, the outgoing Labour group leader who lost her seat, has issued a statement.
She said: "Derbyshire Labour has fought tooth and nail at this election for each and every vote, listening to our residents and offering real solutions to the issues they face.
"The team that supported me have been amazing – there are too many to mention – as well as the phenomenal membership, who have been committed to the campaign every step of the way."
The statement continued: "Representing Bolsover South and heading up the Labour Group on Derbyshire County Council has been a massive privilege and one I am hugely grateful for.
"I will continue to be a champion for children with SEND as the stories of parents who have struggled to get the best outcomes for their children has left a profound impression on me.
"Thank you to every resident who has supported me over the years. It has been an honour to serve you and serve our beautiful county."
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
We have been hearing from Derbyshire's Reform spokesman Stephen Reed. He won the Clay Cross and Tupton division with 1,353 votes.
"People keep saying it's a protest vote, I think there's no doubt people are protesting at how politics currently runs," he told our political reporter Georgia Roberts.
"There is an element that people want change so it's a message to other parties to say, look, we're not happy with the way things are going.
"We want to audit everything and find out what the state of the council actually is.
He continued: "Nigel [Farage] has spoken about a British-style DOGE [the US Department of Government Efficiency] so it's not just financially but we'll be looking at processes.
"We know there is waste and inefficiency."
Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby
The Conservative leader of Derbyshire County Council, Barry Lewis, has been giving his response to his own defeat in Shirland and Wingerworth South as well as his party's poor showing across the county.
"It's something of a wipeout for us, I think - nationally and locally," he said.
"I think it's an artefact of the difficulties we've had over a number of years, a fractured party and holding a general election last year - the poor result we got there.
"We need to rebuild trust with our residents and voters who've lost faith with us."
"The other part of this is the fact that Labour made a series of promises on the way into Parliament last year and then reneged on all those promises, so public trust in politicians generally has kind of failed - so Reform, the new kid on the block has come out on top as a consequence.
"But it's going to be a tough job ahead of them as they take over councils across the country."
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
So, a final summary of sorts with Reform claiming the final seat of Ripley East.
Reform are the largest party securing a majority of 20. They have 42 seats.
Labour are down 11 but the big losers no doubt were the incumbent Conservatives. They lost 33 seats.
Vote share:
Here is the final scoreboard from Derbyshire County Council showing the scale of Reform UK's dominance in the county.
Ruth George, the Labour MP for High Peak between 2017 and 2019, has won the Whaley Bridge seat as an independent after being deselected by the party.
She won with 2,622 votes - 57% of the total.
Labour on the other hand finished fifth.
Image source, UK ParliamentGeorge Torr
BBC News, Derby
We are waiting for the final result to come in.
The Ripley East division in Amber Valley gets the wooden spoon (or the grand finale).
But this was expected as it has one of the largest pool of voters in the county.
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
Here is the full breakdown from the Shirland and Wingerworth South division in North East Derbyshire.
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
Barry Lewis, the Conservative leader of Derbyshire County Council, has lost his seat to Reform.
At the helm, his party won 45 seats in 2021 securing a majority. His party now has 12.
Frank Adlington-Stringer polled well for the Green Party finishing in third place.
Image source, LDRSGeorge Torr
BBC News, Derby
Labour has won three seats with just a couple of divisions to declare. That's down from 14 they won in 2021.
Candidates in North Belper, Glossop South and New Mill and Hayfield won for Labour.
Here are the latest totals from Derbyshire County Council, with 62 seats now having declared.
The Conservatives take Sawley by 17 votes. Breakdown below:
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
As we heard earlier, Gez Kinsella is heading back to County Hall. Here's the full result for the South Belper and Holbrook division.
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
Alasdair Sutton has been elected to represent Bakewell for the Tories.
Labour and Reform close battle for second.
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
Tom Snowdon has been elected to represent Walton, Brampton and Boythorpe.
Georgia Roberts
Political reporter, BBC Derby
Reform UK have now officially got a majority on Derbyshire County Council.
The casualties they’ve inflicted include Labour’s leader in Derbyshire and potentially (there’s a recount, it’s that close), the current Conservative leader of the council Barry Lewis.
There’s a feeling here that Reform have managed to mobilised people that don’t normally turn out to vote in Derbyshire, and this has helped them along to victory - turnout was higher than expectations.
But Conservatives here also say they don’t feel they could’ve fought against the strong sentiment for Reform and sympathy for their national policies.
Image source, Reform UKLabour and the Conservative are equally hurting, but for Labour this is a particular blow.
A year ago they were expecting to take this council, riding high off the back of recent victories in district and borough councils and a clean sweep of Labour MPs in the general election.
One Labour figure here tells me the party now needs to do some serious soul-searching as to how things have gone “so wrong, so rapidly”.
George Torr
BBC News, Derby
The council's cabinet member for transport, Charlotte Cupit, has lost her seat. Reform winning this one.
