Elections 2021: Conservatives retake control of Nottinghamshire

The Conservatives have taken control of Nottinghamshire County Council for the first time in 12 years.

Labour group leader Alan Rhodes also lost his seat in a bad day for the party.

The local authority had been in no overall control since 2017, when the Tories fell three seats short of a majority.

It is only the second time since 1977 the Conservatives have won control of the authority.

The Tories now have 37 seats on the 66-strong council, up from the 31 they won four years ago.

Labour has lost seven seats, with its total of 15 being less than half the number of the 34 councillors it had in 2013.

The Ashfield Independents are the third largest party with 10 councillors, while three Independent candidates also earned election victories.

There is now only one Liberal Democrat member of the council, with Steve Carr winning in Bramcote and Beeston North.

We had initially a few holds for various parties, but after that a trickle of Conservative gains in places like Gedling and Bassetlaw.

One of them was very significant indeed, and that is Worksop North - it was the seat of the Labour group leader, Alan Rhodes.

He has lost that seat to the Conservatives - a massive, massive blow for Labour.

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