Tories lose control of three Berkshire councils

The Conservatives have lost control of Bracknell Forest Council after losing 27 seats.

They also lost Windsor and Maidenhead and West Berkshire to the Lib Dems.

Labour instead is now in control of Bracknell council with 22 seats, 18 of which are new gains.

The results come as across the country Labour and the Lib Dems are making gains at the expense of the Conservatives.

In Bracknell the Tories now hold 10 seats, the Green Party two and the Lib Dems seven, six of which were a gain.

The authority was not the only one in Berkshire which saw major changes in this year's local elections.

In Windsor the Tory leader was ousted by 22-year-old Lib Dem George Blundell.

Meanwhile there is no overall control in Slough and Wokingham while Labour has held control of Reading Borough Council.

It's the after party nobody wants to be at, but tonight four of Berkshire's council leaders could be forgiven for drowning their sorrows.

One by one they've fallen from grace - the first to topple at 04:00 this morning was the Conservative leader of Windsor and Maidenhead, Andrew Johnson, humbled by 22-year-old Lib Dem newbie George Blundell, his face a mixture of delight and shock.

His nights will now be taken up by council meetings, no late night partying for him.

The next council leader to go here was Bracknell's Conservative leader Paul Bettison, downed by a Liberal Democrat. Labour now rule the roost there.

James Swindlehurst, the Labour leader at Slough Borough Council, also lost his seat.

And then finally Lynne Doherty, the Conservative leader at West Berkshire. Gracious in defeat she congratulated her Liberal Democrat conqueror.

Talking to me afterwards, taking her defeat on the chin, she said local Conservatives were paying the price for people's unhappiness with the national party.

Labour lost control of Slough Borough Council. The party won 18 seats, the Conservatives secured 21, and the Lib Dems three.

James Swindlehurst - the former Labour leader of the council - lost his seat to the Conservatives. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was not surprised with the results.

He said some of the measures taken by his group in the past year, including a council tax increase, were "unpopular" but "needed" to restore the council's budget.

"This is a consequence to that and as the figurehead of the council I am not surprised that I'm being punished for that," he added.

Slough Borough Council was one of the three councils in England given dispensation by the government to increase bills above the 4.99% cap without holding a referendum.

The council effectively declared bankruptcy in 2021 after it racked up a £760m borrowing debt and a £357m deficit.

Conservative leader Dexter Smith said Labour's defeat was "a vote for change in Slough".

Wokingham Borough Council also stays in no overall control. Labour gained two Tory seats and the Lib Dems won three.

Labour - which now has five councillors - said it was happy to continue a "joint administration" with the Lib Dems - which have 26 councillors. The Tories have been left with 22 seats and there is one Independent.

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