No group in overall control of Cornwall Council

Elliot Ball
BBC News, South West
Chloe Parkman
BBC News, South West
Seb Noble
BBC Cornwall political reporter
BBC Inside a hall during the election count. People are sitting at tables for the count.BBC
All 87 seats have been declared

No group has overall control of Cornwall Council but Reform UK is the largest party after all 87 seats were declared.

The counting has finished, with all the electoral divisions having been declared.

Reform UK picked up 28 seats, Liberal Democrats 26 and 16 for the Independents.

The Conservative Party picked up seven seats, Labour four and three each for the Greens and Mebyon Kernow.

Bruce Craze seen speaking into a microphone while wearing a blue suit with a white shirt and light blue tie. He is also wearing a white and blue rosette with the Reform UK logo in the centre. Mr Craze has short, black hair and a short beard.
Bruce Craze has won the Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon for Reform UK

BBC South West political editor Martyn Oates said Reform UK had no councillors on Cornwall Council at the start of the vote.

"Now of course, the negotiation has to begin on who is actually going to run the council," he said.

Polling stations closed on Thursday and the counts took place at Bodmin Leisure Centre, Carn Brea Leisure Centre and Truro Cathedral.

Speaking at the Carn Brea count, Reform's Mr Craze said: "I want them [people of Cornwall] to get a fair system with quality services, but to sort out the finances so people's council tax is not going on debt payments but on actual services for them."

Pauline Dawn Giles, who was re-elected to represent St Blazey for the Conservatives, said it was going to be a "tough time" for Cornwall Council.

She said: "We're in a budget hole at the moment and we're going to have to work really, really hard, and I hope all these new councillors that are coming in understand there is some big work to do."

Tim Dwelly wearing thick black framed glasses. He has short brown hair and a stubbly beard. He is stood in a sports hall with counting taking place behind him.
Tim Dwelly said an administration would be created to stop Reform from running Cornwall Council

Tim Dwelly, who was elected as the independent councillor for Penzance East, said the non-Reform councillors would create a coalition administration that "keeps them [Reform] from running anything".

He said: "I don't doubt for a minute that independents, Liberal Democrats, Labour, Mebyon Kernow and Greens will have a lot in common and will work together."

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group in Cornwall, Leigh Frost, who was re-elected to represent Bodmin St Petroc's, said the results were looking "positive" for his party.

Leigh Frost wearing a grey blazer with a white striped shirt. He also has a yellow rosette on his left side with the Liberal Democrat bird logo on it. He has short brown hair and is stood in front of a crowd of people at the count.
Mr Frost described the results as "positive" for the Liberal Democrats

He added: "We want to be the party of hope, we want to work together, we want communities to work together for the betterment of everyone; and it's not done by just point-scoring and ranting and raving, and actually not coming up with any coherent plan."

Mr Frost also said he did not blame people for voting Reform and said he believed they had done so to "send a message to government rather than Cornwall Council".

Andrew Creek, who was elected to represent Newquay Trenance for Greens, said he was "so pleased", adding it was a "real win".

"I want the residents of Newquay Trenance to know that I'm going to work really hard for them over the next four years," he said.

Graphic that reads more on local elections 2025

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