Reform ends Tories' 20-year reign in Suffolk

Reform UK has ended the Conservatives' 20-year reign at Suffolk County Council after taking control with a large majority of seats.

The party, led nationally by Nigel Farage, won 41 seats as all 70 were up for grabs.

Elsewhere, the Green Party secured 13 seats, the Tories won nine, Labour won three, and the Liberal Democrats and the Independents each took two.

Chris Hudson, Reform's group leader in Suffolk, retained his seat in the Brook ward and told the BBC it had been a "very optimistic day" for the party. Labour remains in control at Ipswich Borough Council, despite losses.

"It's a very, very encouraging result for Reform up and down the country," he said.

"There is a lot of work to do, because there isn't a lot of money, but we look forward to working hard to represent the people – the people are the masters."

When quizzed on whether he thought he would become the next leader of the council, he confidently said: "Yes, because we need a man with a plan."

If he does take the top spot, he will be replacing the authority's last leader, Conservative Matthew Hicks, who was re-elected in the Thredling division, but has seen colleagues voted out.

Before people went to the ballot boxes on Thursday, his party held 44 seats, but the Tories will now not even be the main opposition after losing 35.

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"I don't feel hard done by because elections are elections and the result is clear," said Hicks.

"Personally, I'm delighted to have retained my seat but I'm really sad for my hardworking, committed colleagues who have lost," he said.

"Our role will be to challenge the administration and make sure they are making good decisions and looking after the residents of Suffolk.

"Whether we are the official opposition or an opposition, we can still be a loud voice."

This election was the first after the number of councillors on the authority was reduced from 75 to 70, meaning 36 seats were needed for a majority.

One of those seats was taken by the county's Green party leader, Andrew Stringer, who retained his role as the representative for Upper Gipping.

He said the national picture may have played a role in Reform's success, but stressed that he did not believe the party had performed as well as predicted.

"Less than a week ago there were websites predicting Reform would completely whitewash the whole of Suffolk, and that hasn't been the case," he said.

"People were out there thinking this was a general election, but it wasn't, and it wasn't about Nigel Farage, it was about who can deliver services best here in Suffolk.

"[The Greens doing well] is more than a relief, it's hope - hope for the future that people can connect the dots about who can be the best people to deliver services for them."

Suffolk County Council said the average turnout figure was not yet known, but early indications showed more than 55% of people voted in some divisions.

The total votes cast were:

• Reform UK: 88,347
• Greens: 62,752
• Conservative: 58,716
• Labour: 27,778
• Liberal Democrats: 23,960
• Independents and others: 5,526

The turnout pleased Liberal Democrat Ruth Leech, who was re-elected as a councillor in Woodbridge and vowed to continue fighting for potholes to be fixed.

"I'm absolutely over the moon, but what has really touched me is that we had a really high turnout which means people cared, they came out, and they voted," she said.

"I will absolutely be up for working with Reform, because collaboration is more important than the differences that divide us, so we will be pulling together."

As well as the county council elections taking place today, a third of seats were up for election at Ipswich Borough Council.

Labour could not have lost control of the council, and council leader Neil MacDonald was happy to have retained his St John's seat.

"I'm pleased for myself, but I've lost some of my friends and colleagues, which I am disappointed about," he said.

"I feel we had a good campaign, and I met a lot of people on the doorsteps who were pleased to see us and vote Labour - we just didn't manage to get people over the line.

"We still have a good manifesto, and we have a lot to offer Ipswich will be carrying on in that vein over the next year. I'm looking forward to working hard for Ipswich."

Vikki Irwin, BBC Suffolk's political correspondent, said Reform's convincing victory in the county was "seismic".

"The county council has for the last two decades been run by the Conservatives and with quite a significant majority," she said.

"What happened here today is seismic in Suffolk's political landscape.

"Some of the divisions were very close between the Reform, Green and Conservative candidates, with a handful of votes sometimes separating the winners and those coming second.

"The Greens, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems have all told me this election was not one fought on local issues, but on national ones.

"Labour representation has gone from six seats to three, which could have been much worse.

"Reform UK is buoyant and its new councillors say they are ready to start work.

"It's a big job running a local council with hundreds of millions of pounds to manage, along with the expectations of voters."

Additional reporting by Vikki Irwin, Ben Parker, Matt Precey, Joao Santos, and Louise Parker.

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