Alex Dunlop
BBC Look East

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

It has been a Labour wipeout in the Norwich area, with all 13 county council divisions now declared at the count at the UEA Sportspark.

Before this round of elections, Labour held seven of those 13 seats, ahead of three for the Greens, two Independents and one Lib Dem (the party's Norfolk leader Brian Watkins).

That has now flipped to 10 for the Greens, two for Reform UK and Watkins holding the one Lib Dem seat.

Clare Worden
BBC Radio Norfolk

Ben Griffin has claimed a Reform UK win in King's Lynn North & Central, from the Conservatives.

The turnout was 24.8% of the electorate:

• Ben Griffin (Reform): 740 votes
• Deborah Heneghan (Labour): 319
• Joel Blackmur (Green): 308
• Lesley Bambridge (Con): 284
• Michael De Whalley (Independent): 136
• Lorraine Douglas (Communist Party of GB): 39

Griffin said he was "over the moon" and the election was "really well fought".

"The other candidates were wonderful. I'm just happy to win and can't wait to get started. I think it's helped nationally but I've been told not to say anything else," he said.

"I've got several priorities that will come out at some point in the future. I need to sit down, have my first meeting and go from there."

Asked whether he will represent everyone, he replied: "I'd say there is enough division at the moment, let's all work together and create better communities."

A reminder that you can listen live to our Local Election Special on BBC Radio Norfolk now, which is continuing through until 18:00.

Click here to listen via BBC Sounds.

Image source, Owen Sennitt/BBC

Counting continues at Great Yarmouth, where Jack Allen, Green Party candidate for Yarmouth Nelson & Southtown ward, said he thought people were split between two parties.

"What we have heard on the doorstep is that people are making a choice between Great Yarmouth First or the Greens in Nelson & Southtown," he said.

"There has been no middle ground and people aren’t wanting to vote for the traditional parties.”

The ward was Labour heading into Thursday's elections.

Image source, Norfolk County Council

As we keep working through the ward results, let's pause to take a look at the overall picture in the Norfolk County Council elections so far.

With 84 seats up for grabs, Reform UK appears to be well on its way to reaching the 43 seats needed for a majority at County Hall, with 23 declared for them so far.

The current controlling party, the Conservatives, have just two seats, with Lib Dems on six and Greens on three - with 41 divisions yet to be declared.

A big sub-plot is Great Yarmouth First claiming seven seats.

The party was founded by the town's MP Rupert Lowe, who used to be Reform, which is only standing in that area.

The Conservatives had 52 councillors ahead of today's election. Labour had nine but is yet to claim one today.

This reflects the national picture and Nigel Farage's party has already claimed control of the county councils in both Suffolk and Essex.

As of 14:30 GMT, the latest scores are:

• Reform UK - 23
• Great Yarmouth First - 7
• Liberal Democrats - 6
• Conservatives - 3
• Green Party - 3
• Independent - 1

There have been a couple of positives for the Liberal Democrats in among Reform UK's success.

They have taken Holt from the Conservatives

• Andrew Brown (Lib Dem): 1,783
• Steve Ribbons (Reform UK): 1,336
• Clive Hallam (Conservative): 817
• Mike Bossingham (Green): 258
• Martyn Solman (Labour): 92

Back in 2021 it was the Conservatives winning with 48% of the vote.

And in the west of the county, the Lib Dems have also kept hold of Gaywood North and Central, Rob Colwell claiming 46% of the votes ahead of Reform's Paul Powers (30%). Turnout was 38.97%. The pattern continues, as it was the Conservatives who won that seat in 2021 with 56%.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Tim Adams, who leads North Norfolk District Council, has retained his county council seat in Cromer for the Liberal Democrats.

He took 59% of the vote, polling 2,506, with Reform UK some way behind at 1,138 and 27%.

Again, a big turnout at 51%.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Image source, Paul Moseley/BBC

The Greens have won their first seat of these elections, taking Diss and Roydon.

It had been held by the Conservatives but was vacant following the resignation of Keith Kiddie.

Will Porteous took it in an area where the Green's have an MP - the Waveney Valley constituency's Adrian Ramsay.

He polled 1,244 votes, ahead of Reform UK on 1,166.

"I think people are ready for change. They feel let down by the big parties," the newly-elected councillor said.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

We've heard of another seat taken by Reform UK, this time from the Conservatives in Acle.

Justine Thomas was triumphant with 1,652 votes over her closest rivals, the Greens, on 1,193. The Tories trailed in third place with 668 and just 16% of the vote, compared with Reform's 39%.

Turnout was strong here, at just over 50%.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

Reform UK have taken a seat from Labour in Crome, which covers an area north-east of Norwich city centre, including Thorpe Hamlet.

Tim Day will join the ward's two Labour incumbents at Norwich City Council.

More jubilation among the Reform UK camp as they snatch two more county council seats - Costessey, and Yare & Necton.

Costessey, which had been Independent, was won by David Henson who polled 1,384 votes, followed by Independent Gary Blundell on 987.

The main parties were way behind here, with the Liberal Democrats - who formerly held the seat - getting just 15% of the vote with 628.

Reform's Kher Kabeer received 2,105 votes (45% vote share) in Yare & Necton, ahead of the Conservatives on 26% and 1,224 votes.

Conservative Bill Borett - who stepped back from the cabinet last year in a row over this election - has lost his Norfolk County Council seat to Reform UK by 63 votes.

Borrett, who formerly led the council, lost out in the south-west Norfolk ward of Elmham & Mattishall to Reform UK's Paul Carr, who polled 1,418 votes compared with Borrett's 1,365.

Both were streets ahead of third-placed Lib Dems on 516. The turnout at 47%.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

There are 39 seats on Norwich City Council and 14 of them are available in this year’s vote.

It typically would be 13, but there is an extra seat available following the resignation of Green councillor Liam Calvert.

Like the county council, the city council is due to be scrapped as part of local government reorganisation.

It should cease to exist in two years, to be replaced by a Greater Norwich authority – with elections for that to take place next year.

But with major projects like the Anglia Square redevelopment ongoing, a lot is already happening in the city.

With 1,617 votes, Stuart Clancy from the Conservatives has retained Taverham on Norfolk County Council.

Voter turnout in the division was 51.69%.

Reform UK's candidate Alice Kemp came in second with 1,109 votes and Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou was third for the Liberal Democrats with 746.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Controlled by the Conservatives since 2017, the party had 50 seats on Norfolk County Council and has been led by the often outspoken Kay Mason Billig.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats were the next two largest parties, with nine members each, while the Greens had four and Reform UK had two.

A further eight councillors were Independent and there were two vacancies.

The Conservatives, Labour and Reform put up candidates in every seat – while the Lib Dems and Greens are each contesting almost every division.

Meanwhile, The Great Yamouth MP Rupert Lowe's new Great Yarmouth First has been challenging for nine seats in that area.

The Communist Party has put up two candidates and there have been a number of Independent candidates.

Reform UK have secured another three seats on Norfolk County Council - all previously held by the Conservatives.

Jacob Allen received 1,797 votes in Guiltcross, in the Breckland area south of Attleborough. The Conservatives received 1,439 and the Greens came in third with 734.

Reform's Jaden Lister has taken Swaffham with 1,869 votes. The Conservatives were second with 1,020 and the Greens third with 509.

With 1,798 votes, Tom Dickerson has also came out on top for Reform UK in Launditch, which covers a large area of Breckland north-west of Dereham. He is followed by the Conservatives on 1,158 and the Liberal Democrats on 782.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

Reform UK has taken two seats from the Conservatives on Norfolk County Council.

Wendy Atkinson received 1,007 votes, with the Conservative candidate Edith Jones polling third with 621 votes, behind Peter Harwood for the Greens on 665.

Atkinson is newly elected to Woodside ward, which encompasses parts of Sprowston, Heartsease and Thorpe St Andrew, to the east of Norwich.

We have also just heard Reform's Daniel Burcham has taken Attleborough from the Conservatives with 1,433 votes - representing 49% of the ballot. Again, the Conservatives trailed in third (542), very slightly behind the Greens (547).

Some good news for the Tories - they retained Wymondham. Robert Savage polled 1433 votes, with Gokce Schuler of Reform second with 1,004.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBC

And they're off. The count begins at Sportspark at the University of East Anglia for 13 county council seats in the Norwich area.

Later, the team here will also count the entire Norwich City Council ballot, with just 14 seats - a third of the total - are up for grabs.

Paul Moseley
Norfolk political reporter

Image source, Paul Moseley/BBC

South West Norfolk Labour MP Terry Jermy says he expects bad results for Labour and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should consider his future.

"I think he needs to have a look and see if he's the best person to take the Labour Party and the government forward," he says.

"He's done a reasonable job, but it's not been connecting with the public."

National issues, not local concerns, had been much of the focus of the election and "democracy is weakened when that happens," he adds.

Image source, Owen Sennitt/BBC

Voters went to the polls for Norfolk County Council and a third of seats at Norwich City Council - but there was also a borough council seat up for grabs in Great Yarmouth.

This will decide who will represent Caister South, following the death of Malcolm Bird, a former town mayor and veteran councillor who died in February.

That count is expected to take place later, but meanwhile the county council count is about to begin.

There are nine divisions in the Great Yarmouth area, seven of which have been held by the Conservatives since the last election in 2021, two by Labour.