UK: Early results see labour and Lib Dems win key target areas
Early results in local elections in England have seen labour and the Liberal Democrats gain key councils at the expense of the Conservatives
Labour has gained control in Plymouth, Medway and Stoke-on-Trent, a dormer Labour stronghold.
The Lib Dems won Windsor and Maidenhead.
So far, the Tories have lost majorities in 10 councils.
Only a small number of councils counted overnight and most of the results will not be confirmed until later on today.
The polls for more than 8,000 council seats on 230 councils, and four mayors, across England closed on Thursday.
Rishi Sunak has acknowledge disappointment at the early results but noted that only a quarter of councils have declared results so far.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Medway to celebrate his party's victory in the Kent council with local activists. He told the crowd: "You didn't just get it over the line, you blew the doors off."
he said Labour were "on course" to win a majority at the next general election.
Barnsley Update: Labour performing well in Penistone East
Penistone East has voted Conservative for the last 25 years but for the first time opposition candidates from the labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have been hopeful this can change.
Barnsley count begins!
Barnsley's first ward has been verified and the count has begun.
Dearne North is the first ward to begin it's count and will announce it's result first
The seat is currently vacant, but Labour will be looking to reclaim the seat having won it in 2022.
Critics say voter ID rule should be scrapped
A campaign group has said the requirement for voter ID should be scrapped following a "significant number" of issues during yesterday's local elections.
Unlock Democracy said the efforts to introduce the scheme "went very badly and that the new requirement for photo ID was "not necessary."
For the first time, everyone voting in the local elections needed to present ID.
It was clear yesterday that many people didn't know about the need for voter ID.
Other issues included voters not bringing the correct form of identification with them, or arriving with photographs of their ID, which were invalid.
The Electoral Commission its initial assessment is that "overall, the elections were well run” however “some people were regrettably unable to vote” because of the new requirement.
Yesterday, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran tweeted her concern about "significant numbers" being rejected after learning about people without ID being unable to vote in her Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.
Conservatives suffer early losses
The early results for local elections have shown Labour and Liberal Democrats gaining seats while the Conservatives take big losses.
Yesterday's local election was the first real test for Rishi Sunak since he became Prime Minister last year.
Asked if he took personal responsibility for the party's performance, Mr Sunak said: "Well, if you look at the results we have only had a quarter of the results in so it is hard to draw firm conclusions.
"We are actually making progress in key election battlegrounds... you mentioned the Labour Party, look, I am not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for their agenda. What people want us to do is focus on their priorities."
Labour took the first big gain of the night, winning over Plymouth, where no party had previously secured a majority, a result labelled 'terrible' by the PM.
Liberal Democrats also saw gains in Brentwood, Essex where they won two seats from the Conservatives. This means the Tories no longer have a majority in the council chamber.
How it stands – Barnsley
Over in Barnsley, Labour have a large majority control, and will be looking to expand their majority.
A local outlook into national politics
With the Conservatives still recovering in opinion polls since Liz Truss' tenure as Prime Minister crash landed, this year's local elections could be even more important.
As results continue to roll out, this year's local elections will certainly be a true test of the strength of opposing parties.
How it stands – Sheffield
In Sheffield, Labour are in control but don't have an overall majority, they will be looking to increase their advantage today. Here's how it stands:
Sheffield Council leader Terry Fox to be forced out following trees scandal
Sheffield's election count is not yet underway but council leader Terry Fox is expected to resign as Labour Leader.
This comes following a series of let-downs including the tree felling scandal and the Fargate shipping container disaster.
The news was reported this morning hours before the early results of local elections.
His resignation will prompt a leadership race and the party is expected to choose a new person for the role in the coming weeks.
Coun Fox, who became leader in 2021 after Julie Dore stepped down, has been under pressure to resign following the publication of Sir Mark Lowcock's report of the tree felling inquiry.
The report specified the tree despite as one of the reasons the party has been failing locally after losing its majority on the council in 2021.
According to the report, the council overstretched its authority in taking extreme action against protestors, has serious and sustained failures in leadership and misled the public, court and the independent panel it established to deal with the dispute.
In Barnsley, our reporter Rachel Flynn is watching the count take place, and will have all the latest comments and updates throughout the day.
The results so far
The results are encouraging for Labour and worrying for the Conservatives at the moment, but it will still be some time before we see a full picture as three-quarters of the councils are counting their results later this afternoon.
Following last night's count of the early results, Labour has gained 119 seats, taking control of three key targets: Plymouth, Stoke and Medway. The Conservatives, however, suffered a loss of 228 councillors and lost five councils to no overall control.
Updates to follow.