03-05-2025
Devon and Cornwall councils in no overall control after elections
As the dust settles on local elections in Devon and Cornwall, Martyn Oates considers what the results mean for the political picture in the South councils slipping into 'no overall control' doesn't sound like the most arresting election that apparently modest development masks 24 hours of enormous upheaval and political the vote counters stated their work on Friday morning both Cornwall Council and Devon County Council were Conservative-controlled.
By the evening the party had just seven councillors left on either side of the Tamar – down from 47 in Cornwall and 39 in Devon.A party which had started out with no elected councillors at all in the region ended up the largest group on Cornwall Council and the second largest in shot from zero to 18 in Devon and to 28 in Tories' traditional rivals in the rural Westcountry, the Liberal Democrats, also made gains - adding 13 seats in Cornwall and 18 in lost one of their previous five seats in Cornwall but saw all seven of their Devon seats wiped out – with four of them going to Reform.
Conservative and Labour losses
Exactly where the Lib Dems and Reform made gains is almost as interesting as their total number of former will be very pleased to see a very similar footprint to their parliamentary wins last July – in seats like St Ives, North Cornwall, South Devon and Honiton and Labour and the Conservatives the opposite is often the seats Labour won for the first time last July - Camborne and Redruth, St Austell and Newquay and South East Cornwall – proved happy hunting grounds for even the great Labour citadel of Exeter – home to a Labour MP through thick and thin since 1997 – has seen all seven of its county councillors turfed Conservatives, meanwhile, will view with dismay the carpet of light blue – Reform blue – now covering the constituency of Torridge and not saying much but, as of last July, Torridge and Tavistock was the Tories' safest remaining seat in the two counties.
LIVE: Follow the latest election updatesPOSTCODE LOOKUP: Check the results in your areaSIMPLE GUIDE: When will we know the rest of the results?FULL COVERAGE: Catch up on all our election storiesLocal elections 2025 in maps and charts
