Devon County Council results are in...

The results from the Devon County Council elections have been announced, revealing that the Conservatives have retained overall control with 38 seats, a net loss of 3 and a 35.6% share of the vote. The Lib Dems have 9 seats, a net loss of 4 and a 15.9% share. Labour have 7 seats (all of which are in Exeter), gaining 2 seats and a 13.3% share. UKIP won 4 seats for the first time, and a share of 23.2%. Independents won 3 and the Green Party 1 seat.

As a unitary authority, Plymouth is not part of the county council's map and did not have City Council elections this year.

The County results place UKIP in second place in terms of share of the vote with the Lib Dems second on number of seats.

There was an average turnout across the county of 32.9%.

Conservative council leader John Hart said: “We are very grateful to the people of Devon for putting their trust in us for another four years.

“In 2009, we promised to make Devon County Council a more efficient and business-like authority and keep council tax down and I firmly believe we  delivered on those promises.

“There has been no increase in council tax for county council taxpayers for three years.

“We have reduced staffing by over a quarter without widespread redundancies and reduced the council’s debt by nearly £90 million.

“We have achieved that whilst maintaining our services for the most vulnerable, the young and the elderly and we have done all that at a time of unprecedented economic austerity.

“We restructured the county council by doing different things and doing things differently.

”We fought this election on local issues and on our record of delivering for the people of Devon.

”We were the only party in Devon to field a candidate in every seat and I urged people to vote for us on our local record.

“We will do our utmost not to let them down and to continue to do what’s best for Devon.”

Mr Hart pledged to ensure the completion of the superfast broadband roll-out, the opening of the South Devon Link Road and the major job-creating infrastructure projects east of Exeter

He said there would be more investment in better care for dementia sufferers and close work with partners to provide Extra Care Housing.

Devon County Council would continue the campaign it had already begun for better road and rail links with the rest of the country and for more Government cash to repair and maintain Devon’s highway network.

The authority would support local businesses and help create the climate for them to expand their operations and it would continue to raise the skills of young people.

“We will fulfil these pledges as we kept our promises from four years ago,” said Mr Hart.

“We will do that and, at the same time, continue to run a business-like and efficient county council and give the best value for money that we can.”

Labour success in Exeter

While the Conservatives have been victorious overall, Exeter has been a Labour success story.

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has expressed delight in the Exeter results. He told our sister site, The Exeter Daily: "It is wonderful that we have won two seats that Labour have never previous held on Devon County Council. We now hold seven out of the nine Exeter wards, showing all the hard work our City and County councillors have put in. It is a reflection of the strong support we have in the City and has enabled us to edge out the LibDems altogether.

"These results reinvigorate Labour's desire to push for Exeter to be a Unitary Authority, as was approved by the last Labour Government following the general election."

Labour now have seven of the nine Exeter county seats. The Conservatives held their two existing seats. The Liberal Democrats lost their two councillors although they remain the official opposition on Devon County Council.

Labour remain barren outside of Exeter - their one council seat beyond the city, in Totnes Rural, was lost back to the Greens who won it in 2009 but saw Paula Black defect to Labour.

UKIP picked up four seats in Devon to provide them with a foothold in the county. Three seats went to independent candidates.

The Leader of Devon County Council, Conservative John Hart, retained his Bickleigh & Wembury seat with a 59.6% share of the vote.

The complete results for all Devon divisions can be found here.