Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Lee Scordis, who retained his seat on Essex County Council in the Colchester Abbey division, is now the only Labour councillor in the entire local authority. The party previously had six councillors.

Scordis says it's clear that "populist parties have done really well on the right and the left".

"They're offering simple solutions to really nuanced arguments," he added.

"We obviously have more to do. People are really struggling out there, and we understand that people do want to see change quicker.

"But it's disappointing, this was a local election, and obviously national factors played a big impact here."

Every result has now been declared for the Essex County Council elections.

Seventy-eight seats were up for grabs - although only 77 have seen candidates elected, as voting for one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate.

Here's the new makeup of political parties across the county council:

• Reform UK - 53 seats
• Conservatives - 13 seats
• Liberal Democrats - 5 seats
• Independents - 2
• Labour - 1
• Greens - 1
• Residents for Uttlesford - 1
• The People's Independent Party - 1

The final election for Springfield will take place on 18 June.

Luke Deal
BBC Radio reporter

Reform UK's Jaymey McIvor, who's been re-elected to his Ongar and Rural seat on Essex County Council, says his party's vision is to "make Essex great again".

"I say that not lightly because I think we have seen years and years of decline. Whether that's the state of our roads, whether that's the quality of social care," he told us.

"We have forgotten that councils are there to provide frontline services, and all you're seeing is this obsession with winning shiny awards about net zero.

"I've sat in that council chamber myself, with my head in my hands sometimes, thinking people out there do not want us talking about the stuff we're talking about in here."

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

I've been at the Essex County Council count in Colchester, where the now former Conservative leader of the authority, Kevin Bentley, told me how he's feeling after losing his seat to Reform UK.

"It's democracy, and it's very important democracy is upheld - that's why we fought very hard, and I was very vocal about not cancelling these elections," he says.

"It's important that people have their say. They've had their say.

"I've had 17 very good years representing the area that I did. I'm still a city councillor in Colchester, so I'll continue that for the next two years, and I wish my success at all the very best."

Counting in the local elections in Thurrock has reached the halfway stage, with results from the remaining wards due later this afternoon.

Although the final shape of the new council is not yet confirmed, so far, results from the first half of the count paint a clear picture.

Reform UK have taken 16 wards, including Tilbury Riverside, Tilbury St Chads, Orsett, Horndon and Bulphan, Little Thurrock Blackshots, Little Thurrock Rectory, East Tilbury, Linford and West Tilbury and Chafford Hundred East.

The Conservatives saw two candidates selected for West Thurrock and South Stifford, with Qaisar Abbas and Elena Pelin securing two seats.

Labour has also won two seats.

Further results are expected later today.

It's another momentous development in the story of the 2026 local elections here in Essex - the long-serving Conservative Kevin Bentley, who's been the leader of the county council since 2021, has lost his seat in Stanway and Marks Tey.

He's been a key figure at the authority, heading it up at a time when big decisions have been made about local government reform, and how Essex will be split into five unitary authorities in the years to come.

Bentley received 1,537 votes and came second behind Reform UK's Andrew Harding, who got 2,092 votes.

We'll bring you more reaction as it comes in.

Kevin Bentley, who's served as the Conservative leader of Essex County Council since 2021, has lost his seat on the local authority.

He's been a member of Essex County Council since 2009.

He lost his Stanway and Marks Tey seat to Reform UK's Andrew Harding.

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Labour faces being left with a single seat.

Lee Scordis has been elected for Labour to the Colchester Abbey division. Dave Harris has just lost Colchester Maypole.

It looks highly unlikely that Labour can gain any other seats with the divisions still to declare in Colchester.

We're most of the way through declarations now for the makeup of Essex County Council in these local elections.

Reform UK has taken 49 seats, the Conservatives have 10, the Liberal Democrats have four, independents two, and one each for the Green Party, Residents for Uttlesford and the People's Independent Party.

Matt Knight
BBC News, Essex

Reform will run County Hall in Chelmsford after Essex turned to a different shade after 25 years of Conservative rule.

A sea of turquoise swept across the county to set Nigel Farage's party on course for a large majority.

Reform had already seemed on course for a win from overnight counting, but the remaining seats decided on Friday morning sealed their victory.

Reform won in Epping and Theydon Bois, where anti-asylum seekerprotests had been held last year at sites including the Bell Hotel.

They won everywhere, from urban parts of Basildon to the most rural Essex has to offer.

It's a sobering defeat for the Conservatives, who at the time of writing have only saved themselves eight seats - a far cry from the 50 they started with.

Focus will now shift to what Reform plan to do in power. The campaign has been heavy on national politics, and not local issues, but the vote for change was clear.

Newly-elected Essex County Councillor Peter Harris has been giving us his reaction to the news that his party has gained control of the authority.

"What a fantastic result for Reform, and a fantastic result for the people of Essex that have just simply had enough of the old politics," says Harris, who's also deputy leader of the Reform UK group on Tendring District Council.

"People wanted change, and they've voted for that; they've given us a clear mandate to make the changes necessary now, and we're absolutely over the moon.

"People will be waking up today delighted that they've got that change, and yes, they will hold us to account, and we will rise to that challenge - but we will do what we say we're going to do, and Essex will have a brighter future."

Image source, PA Media

Gabby Colenso
Senior reporter

At Southend's count, Reform UK celebrated early wins but fell short of expected seat gains.

The Green Party doubled its representation from two seats to four. However, two of its members have been criticising Reform’s rise, with Liz Swanson and Peter Walker turning their backs as Reform candidates were declared elected.

“When the first Reform candidate won, I just felt compelled to do it,” she said. “Peter joined me, and then we continued.”

Walker says national politics had influenced voting patterns.

“My vote tripled because of Zac Polanski,” he's been telling us. “The two-party system is changing.”

Reform’s group leader on the council, Tony Cox (pictured below), says voters are demanding change.

“People are fed up,” he says. “They want change, and these elections have been a referendum on the government.”

Russell Quirk, a Reform UK member hoping to be elected in the Brentwood Hutton ward, has been speaking to BBC Essex's Sonia Watson following a night of huge gains for his party.

"It's proven by the results that [Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats] haven't covered themselves in glory," he says.

"This is a litmus test. A barometer of feeling nationally and locally."

Quirk, who is already a Brentwood borough councillor, said people were disappointed with the Tories' tenure on the county council, including their record on increasing council tax and on potholes.

Image source, PA Media

Charlotte Rose
Senior reporter

Newly-elected Reform UK councillor Daryl Swain, who won a Colchester City Council seat in the former Labour stronghold of Greenstead, says people have been telling him they're "fed up with the Labour government".

The Green Party put the increase in its vote down to enthusiasm from young voters, in a city with a student population of about 10,000, external at the University of Essex campus.

Green Party group leader Kemal Cufoglu said people supported a "message of hope", and that local party membership had "tripled" since last summer.

Labour councillor and current Deputy Leader of the Council, Julie Young, has put her party's losses down to people "struggling with the cost of living" and feeling "life is really hard at the moment".

The Conservatives held on to five of the six seats they were defending. It was a sign people were "ready to listen to the party again" according to group leader Paul Dundas (pictured).

It was a mixed picture for the Liberal Democrats, and current council leader David King said it reflected a "national discontentment with established parties".

The turnout was 41%; a significant increase on last year's poll in the borough, which stretches to Boxted, Dedham, Tiptree and Mersea Island.

History has been made - the Conservatives have lost control of Essex County Council, where they have held a majority for 25 years.

In the last few minutes, we've learned Reform UK has won 40 seats so far - the figure needed for a majority and to take overall control of the local authority.

Ian Puckey
BBC Essex Senior Producer

A number of senior Conservative councillors have lost their seats in the local elections.

John Spence (pictured below), cabinet member for health and adult social care and county councillor for Chelmer Division of Essex County Council since 2013, lost out to Reform UK’s Paul Clark in Danbury and the Hanningfields.

Another cabinet member, Peter Schwier, who's known as the climate tsar, lost in Hedingham to 19-year-old Nathan Robbins of Reform.

Mark Durham, the arts and culture cabinet member, lost in Maldon Rural North to Reform.

Tom Cunningham, another cabinet member, was ousted in the Three Fields and Great Notley division.

Labour's Ivan Henderson, the former MP for Harwich, also lost his county council seat, as did Dave Blackwell, an Independent on Canvey.

On Southend-on-Sea City Council, long-serving Independent councillor Martin Terry - who served as cabinet member for community safety - was also ousted.

Image source, Essex County Council

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Stanway and Pyefleet - this the seat of the current Conservative county council leader Kevin Bentley. Five years ago he got more than half the votes but faces a challenge, like many of his Tory colleagues, from Reform UK.

Orsett, Thurrock -this is usually the Conservatives' safest ward on Thurrock Council. If they do not hold this seat, they could really struggle across the unitary council area.

Chafford Hundred, Thurrock – this ward has often swung between the Conservatives and Labour. Reform UK could be in the mix here too. An area of modern housing, home of Lakeside Shopping Centre and on the commuter railway line into London. Who wins here will be a good indicator of how the parties are doing.

Epping – in particular Epping and Theydon Bois on the county council and Epping West and Rural on the district authority. This is where The Bell Hotel is, which is used to house asylum seekers and where regular protests have taken place over the past year. The Conservatives are defending both seats.

Stifford, Thurrock – Standing for Reform UK is the former Conservative council leader of Plymouth Council, Richard Bingley. More than 20 years ago he was a Labour councillor in Thurrock before he joined the Conservatives and then UKIP. Could Bingley be back on Thurrock under a different party banner?

Nigel Farage's party need just six more seats to take control of Essex County Council.

A total of 40 seats is needed to take majority control, and Reform UK have currently reached 34 with the election of several more councillors in seats in Basildon and Epping Forest.

Charlotte Rose
Senior reporter

Reform UK has won five seats at Colchester City Council saying voters feel "frustrated" and voted for "change", but the council remains in no overall control.

There was disappointment for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives who all lost councillors, while the Greens held the seat they were defending.

The authority was previously run by a Lib Dem-Labour coalition, although the Conservatives had the largest number of seats on the 51-member council.

Following yesterday's vote with the results all in, the position is:

• Conservatives: 18
• Labour: 12
• Liberal Democrats: 12
• Reform: UK 5
• Green Party: 3
• Independent: 1

Simon Dedman
BBC Essex political reporter

Image source, PA Media

"This is our home, and we are going to defend it," Kemi Badenoch exclaimed to cheers from activists at a Conservative event in Hutton, Brentwood at the beginning of the campaign.

She ended by on a campaign stall herself in Billericay.

Essex was the political home of Winston Churchill (pictured) during World War Two when he was Prime Minister.

Today the county is home to six members of the Conservative shadow cabinet - some like Sir James Cleverly and Dame Priti Patel have held the highest offices of the state - both as home secretary - and Cleverly was also foreign secretary. Alex Burghart, Richard Holden and Rebecca Harris are also in the shadow cabinet.

Essex is at the heart of the Conservative Party. But will the Tories be in the hearts and minds of voters?

Lose the county council and this will be a deep blow for the party that is trying to rebuild after its worst general election defeat two years ago.