Reform has gained its first council of the election, taking Newcastle-under-Lyme from the Conservatives.

It has won 27 of the 44 seats available.

The Conservatives dropped 10 seats, while Labour lost 17.

Miles Davis
Political reporter, South West

The wife of the former Tory leader of Plymouth City Council has been elected as a Reform councillor.

Helen Kelly took the Compton ward in a successful night in Plymouth, which saw Reform take 14 out of 19 seats available.

Kelly’s husband, Nick Kelly, was the leader of the Conservative group on the city council until 2022 - but today, was wearing a Reform rosette at the count and cheering on his wife.

Helen Kelly said: “Hopefully with the passion of the Reform team now in Plymouth, we can take some real challenge to Labour as an effective opposition which they haven’t had for a few years."

Labour were expecting a bad night - and this is worse than expected so farpublished at 06:11 BST

06:11 BST

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

The results so far are bad for Labour - worse than many expected, and they were expecting a bad night.

They’re pretty bad for the Conservatives too, suggesting the move away from Westminster’s two traditional main parties is now a feature of current politics with Reform the big beneficiaries so far - the Green’s biggest targets are yet to declare.

A key question is what this means for Labour. A period of introspection is inevitable along with questions about where the party turns. Less clear is what this means for Keir Starmer’s leadership. There are plenty warning against a leadership contest right now, urging cool calm heads.

But there are also party figures pointing the finger squarely at Starmer, with some saying it was his name that came up on the doorstep and he’s to blame for party’s current plight.

One factor in what comes next might be the emotions that unfold as the results continue to come in: Bruised Labour councillors who’ve lost their seats after years of working for the party, MPs looking at their own majorities as councillors around them fall.

Crucial could be what happens in Wales - where Labour have dominated for decades - and London - home to many Labour members and MPs.

These are places with deep Labour connections, and bad results will determine the mood in the party which could be critical. One thing is clear from Labour figures out on the airwaves so far. There’s agreement Labour’s facing a problem, there’s less agreement on how to solve it.

Image source, PA Media

It's been a long night for those who have stayed up - so, amid the election results, here are some stories you may have missed.

• A Reform candidate, who is a doctor, had to step in after a Liberal Democrat collapsed in south-west London
• In Lincoln, the council's Labour leader brought her new-born daughter to the count, after giving birth on Sunday
• A three-week-old baby at the count in Wandsworth was the son of two of the candidates standing - and probably got more sleep than both of them
• In Staffordshire, a former Stoke City player, Graham Shaw, was elected to represent Reform in Newcastle-under-Lyme
• And a Reform watch party in Westminster had a cocktail menu featuring a Kemi Bounce Bellini, a Rachel Reeves 'Rita, and a Nigel Negroni

Labour has its seventh council loss of the night, in Southampton.

In the council of 51 seats, Labour needed 26 seats for a majority. With only one seat to declare, Labour has lost nine seats, leaving it with 24.

The Greens have gained four seats, Reform have taken seven, while the Lib Dems have kept one seat and taken two from Labour.

The leader of the council, Labour's Alex Winning, has lost his seat to the Lib Dems' Rebecca McCreanor.

Aidan McNamee
BBC Verify data journalist

For the first time in its history, Wandsworth council is without a majority.

Unlike the story being told elsewhere in England, Wandsworth was a traditional two horse race between Labour and Conservative.

The Tories have had their sights set on Wandsworth ever since Labour caused an upset in 2022, ending 44 years of Conservative dominance in what was famously Margaret Thatcher’s favourite council.

While no party holds control, the Conservatives have taken seven seats from Labour, becoming the largest party in the borough.

Basildon in Essex remains a council with no party majority, but Reform have gained 11 seats.

The council has 42 seats, with 22 needed for a majority. Before the election, Labour had 18 seats, and they have now lost six.

In Dudley, similarly, the council remains lacking a majority party.

Here, the Conservatives started with 34 seats, and Labour with 28. Reform have taken 22 of the seats from parties across the board, and are now the second largest party after the Conservatives.

Reform are the big winners - so farpublished at 05:33 BST

05:33 BST

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

The night is so far proving to be one of substantial success for Reform.

They are currently winning a third of the seats that have been declared. In contrast, Labour, who have been defending most seats this evening, have lost around a half of the seats that they have been trying to defend.

If Labour's rate of seat loss were to continue to the end of tomorrow, they could be looking at losses of just over 1200 seats, rather less than some forecasts anticipated.

However much depends on what happens in London, where a large proportion of the seats they are defending are located.

The Conservatives are also losing ground; their vote is on average down by 14 points and the party is losing around half of the seats it is trying to defend.

The other challenger party, the Greens, are performing creditably; their average of 18 percent of the vote is up 8 points on average compared to 2022. However, under first past the post it is not enough for them to be picking more than the occasional gain. So far, they have made just over 20 net gains.

The Liberal Democrats' hopes of making notable net gains of seats are not being realised; they have made only a small gain in seats, by around 20. Moreover, the party's share of the vote is down on average by 5 points since 2022.

The overall picture created by these party performances is one of Reform running at around 29%, while all of their rivals are below 20%.

Image source, PA Media

Good morning. If you're just joining us, 33 out of 136 English councils have declared their local election results, for a total of 820 out of 5,036 seats.

It's been a night of gains for Reform - they've picked up 267 seats so far. Those seats have mainly come from Labour and Tory losses, who are down 191 and 103 seats respectively.

But while Reform have gained councillors, they've not achieved control of a council - mainly because in most places, not all seats have been up for election. Labour's lost control of five councils - the first being Redditch, where a Reform gain meant it lost its majority.

Right now, Labour has lost more than half the seats it was trying to defend, says polling expert Professor John Curtice.

The Lib Dems have won their first council, in Stockport, where they reached the 32 seats needed for a majority. They've also held onto fourmore councils.

And the Greens have picked up 21 extra councillors.

We've also heard some political reaction through the night. Deputy PM David Lammy repeated his support for Starmer, telling the BBC that "you don't change the pilot during the flight" - although Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey was less positive.

"It's a really soul-destroying night.," she says.

Stick with us as we bring you more results.

Image source, Reuters

The Labour group leader in Hull Daren Hale has joined calls for Sir Keir Starmer to go.

Speaking to Nick Robinson and Rachel Burden on BBC Radio Election 26 Special, he says: "The Labour Party, our MPs, and the National Executive of the Labour Party should have a serious look at these results, and I think it's time for leadership change at the top.

"I wish Sir Keir Starmer no ill, but I think ultimately, he's not the right man for the job to take us to the next level and to secure the benefits that we should have from a Labour government."

• You can listen to our radio election special in the "watch & listen" tab at the top of the page, or here

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

So far in the overnight results, Labour has lost 58% of the seats it has been trying to defend.

If that rate of loss were to continue to the end of tomorrow, Labour could be looking at losses of nearly 1500 seats - though much depends on what happens in London, where a large proportion of the seats it's defending are located.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

A Tory councillor who predicted he would lose his seat to Reform earlier in the count will be staying put.

Kevin Blake told the BBC he believed Reform would win all 14 seats in Basildon, but he has retained his Burstead seat following a 52% voter turnout.

The Conservatives have also held onto Billericay West.

Reform doing well in pro-Brexit areaspublished at 05:00 BST

05:00 BST

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

There is now a very clear relationship between Reform's performance and how an area voted in the 2016 EU referendum.

Support for Reform is averaging just 9% in wards where less than 40% voted for Brexit.

In contrast, it is running at 40% in wards where 60% voted for Brexit.

This result is a clear confirmation of the fact that support for Reform is heavily concentrated among those who support Brexit.

In contrast, support for the Greens is markedly higher in places that did not vote for Brexit.

On average, the Greens are running at 26% in places where less than 40%voted Leave, and 12% where more than 60% did so.

• Richmond-upon-Thames stays Lib Dem. All of the council's 54 seats were up for election. The Lib Dems gained six seats, while the Greens lost five and the Tories lost one
• Sutton also remains a Lib Dems majority. All of its 55 seats were up for election. Votes are still being counted, but the Lib Dems will keep its majority
• Labour maintains control of Reading, although it loses four seats. Three of those go to Greens while the Conservatives also gain a seat
• Oldham remains a no party majority. A third of its 60 seats are up for grabs, and so far Reform has taken four, Labour two, and independent candidates two
• Oxford also keeps its no party majority. Half of its 48 seats are up for election
• And it's a no party majority in Colchester. A third of its 51 seats are up for grabs. So far, five have gone to Reform, four to Conservatives, and one each for Greens, Labour and Lib Dems

Deputy Leader of Reform UK Richard Tice has been speaking to the BBC at Newcastle-under-Lyme - a council the party has its eyes on.

He says tonight's results have been "very encouraging", showing a "complete rejection" of the two main parties, Labour and Conservative.

The appeal to Reform UK, Tice says, is that "people are getting poorer" - and he says it's policies from the two main parties that are to blame, including "mass immigration we were told would make us better off", and "net stupid zero".

He says Reform is identifying savings and "giving better value" through its "business-like" approach.

"We're working out policies," he says. Tice tells the BBC that by the end of the year, "we'll have lots of policies and we'll be ready for a general election as and when it comes".

"We'll be more ready than any other party."

Miles Davis
Reporting from Plymouth

A newly-elected 23-year-old Greens councillor says her "voice will be heard" on Plymouth City Council.

Saahi Aroori won the Drake seat and vowed to stand up for people whose views she said were not represented.

Aroori said her age and being "the only brown person in the room" would give her a unique perspective.

"If I see an injustice then mark my words, you will hear my voice," Aroori says.

Aidan McNamee
BBC Verify data journalist

Reform have won 13 seats in Rochford in Essex, becoming the largest party in the area.

Conservatives and Liberal Democrats both suffered losses, while the Greens lost their only seat on the council.

With one independent candidate winning a seat, independent councillors now form the second largest group on the council.

Overall, only 15 of the 39 seats on the council were up for election, with 20 needed for a majority. The council remains under no party control.

Labour have suffered their fifth council loss of the night in Tameside, Greater Manchester.

The council has 57 seats and a third were up for election, with 29 required for a majority. Labour started with 41 seats, but lost 16, meaning they lost their majority. The Conservatives also lost two seats.

Reform gained 18 seats and are now the second largest party in the council, going from 1 to 19 seats.

Part of the Gorton and Denton constituency - where the Greens pushed out Labour in a by-election earlier this year - is in Tameside.

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Graham Shaw, a former Stoke City player, has been elected to represent the Knutton ward on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

The Reform candidate thinks people on the doors were happy to "give him a chance" because of frustration with national politics.

Jonathan Josephs
Reporting from Havering

The first declaration in Havering, east London, was met by Reform cheers.

They've won both seats in the St Alban's ward, which had been seen by some as a tight contest.

That makes one gain from the Conservatives and one from Labour. A start like that is why, as the candidates left the stage, one leading local Reform figure said to me nonchalantly "we're going to take control of this council".

For them, the next two or three hours - and the full result - can't come fast enough.