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Elections 2021: Tories win first new Northamptonshire councils race

BBC The Conservative Party celebratingBBC
The Conservatives celebrated winning control of West Northamptonshire Council at the Silverstone Circuit, where the votes were declared

The Conservatives have won enough seats to take control of Northamptonshire's two new unitary authorities.

The party claimed 60 of 78 seats in the first elections to be held for North Northamptonshire Council.

The Tories won 66 of 93 seats to win at West Northamptonshire Council.

The double victory comes despite the party being at the helm of the collapsed Northamptonshire County Council, which led to local government in the region being reorganised.

This is the first time people have voted in elections for the two unitary authorities, which were only formed on 1 April after Conservative-run Northamptonshire County Council was scrapped following financial mismanagement.

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Analysis: Laura Coffey, BBC Radio Northampton political reporter

The North Northants count

The first North Northamptonshire Council will be run by the Conservatives.

The party has a strong majority with 60 councillors elected.

Labour didn't make as many gains as they had hoped but managed to still keep a strong voice around Corby. Corby was the only Labour council of the five that were scrapped to make way for the new unitary.

The Greens took all three seats in Clover Hill giving them their first councillors in the county. One independent was also elected. There were no Liberal Democrat gains.

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Local government reorganisation in the county also saw district and borough councils in South Northamptonshire, Daventry, Northampton, Kettering, Corby, East Northamptonshire and Wellingborough dissolved.

All of those authorities, with the exception of Labour-run Corby Borough, were Conservative-controlled.

West Northamptonshire Council count
The West Northamptonshire Council count is taking place at Silverstone Circuit
The count at Kettering Conference Centre for North Northamptonshire Council - Labour celebrate taking three seats in Corby West
Results are coming in at Kettering Conference Centre where Labour celebrated winning three seats in Corby West on North Northamptonshire Council
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The count at Kettering Conference Centre for North Northamptonshire Council
The final result in North Northamptonshire was expected on Friday evening

On Monday, the new police, fire and crime commissioner will be revealed.

Conservative Stephen Mold was elected as Northamptonshire's police and crime commissioner in 2016.

Two years later, the Home Office approved plans for the county's PCC to also take charge of the fire service.

He is standing against Liberal Democrat Ana Savage Gunn, Reform UK's Mark Hear and Labour's Clare Pavitt.

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