Labour supporters celebrating at the Hastings count
It is a case of as you were in one Sussex council where no party has overall control.
Seats changed hands in only three wards in Hastings.
Labour gained two seats from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives one from Labour.
The Conservatives now control 15 wards, Labour 13, the Liberal Democrats three and an Independent one.
In 13 of the 16 wards the sitting councillors were re-elected - by majorities ranging from a solitary vote in Old Hastings to 695 in Ashdown.
Old Hastings was decided by drawing lots from envelopes after six counts were unable to separate Conservative Stuart Padget and Liberal Democrat leader Richard Stevens who both received 633 votes. Coun Stevens was awarded one extra vote and held his seat.
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Had he not, the Conservatives would have won effective control of the council, even in the face of an opposition coalition because of Conservative Mayor Maureen Charlesworth's casting vote.
In Ashdown Conservative candidate Rob Cooke secured 983 votes and the evening's greatest majority (695), ahead of Labour's John Leahy and Liberal Democrat Alan Roscoe.
Conservative Matthew Lock, in St Helens ward, was only six votes short of receiving 1,000 votes. His majority is 582.
Another Matthew Lock also won a seat for the Conservatives - in Silverhill ward.
But voter turnout was again poor. Across the borough 36% of the electorate voted.
In Hollington, where BNP candidate Victoria Britton won more votes than Liberal Democrat Nathan Lauder, it was as low as 25%. Terry Soan held on to his Labour seat with a majority of 103. More than 3,000 ward constituents neglected to vote.
The biggest swing was in Castle ward where Labour saw a 19.1% swing in their favour and at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.
But the biggest winners were the Conservatives who recorded a swing in their favour in ten of the 16 wards.
Leader of the Hastings Conservative party Peter Pragnall and Hastings Mayor Maureen Charlesworth both retained their seats - in Conquest and Maze Hill - relatively comfortably.
Coun Pragnall said: "This has been a good night for us around the country and it has been a good night for us here in Hastings too.
"We have got a disgraceful Government and they are paying the price. Around the country Labour has received a deserved thrashing.
"A couple of months ago nobody would have believed Old Hastings would go to a tie - we've made great strides.
"We have one more seat which is a success and next year we will increase our majority, get a proper hold, then we'll take the MP's seat as part of a Conservative Government."
Labour lost hold of Silverhill by 108 votes, returning it to Conservative control but won both Gensing, by 69, and Castle by a colossal 432.
Liberal Democrat Paul Smith had held the Castle seat for several years but was overturned in spectacular fashion. His successor Paul Barlow said: "I was hoping to win but wasn't expecting a shift of almost 20% like that.
"The brilliant thing was picking up supporters while out canvassing, as well as the Labour party members. I found many already thought I was a councillor because of the work I have been doing."
In Conquest Ward, council leader Peter Pragnell successfully saw off the challenge of Lib Dem newcomer Margaret Williams, the figurehead of the Hands off the Conquest campaign.
Coun Pragnell polled 835 to Mrs Williams' 521. She said afterwards: "I had a mountain to climb and have succeeded in reducing the majority so it's a success.
"I hoped to win but I knew I was taking on the leader of the council who had a large majority so I was being realistic."
It was one of few high points in a rotten evening for the Liberal Democrats who lost Gensing and Castle wards and have been left with just three of the council's 32 seats.
The British National Party won 472 votes across four wards, including 16% of the vote in Hollington and 15% in Tressell. Despite suggestions from some politicians that the party was not welcome in Hastings, pledged to come back stronger.
BNP Hastings leader Nick Prince said: "The people have spoken and our vote has increased. We are here to stay and we will not be going anywhere."
For all our coverage of this year's elections, click here.
If Brighton & Hove has a similar mixture of residents as Hastings, this result suggests that at the next local election, B and H will remain a hung council, but without any LibDems on it.
If Brighton & Hove has a similar mixture of residents as Hastings, this result suggests that at the next local election, B and H will remain a hung council, but without any LibDems on it.
[quote][bold]Stroller[/bold] wrote:
If Brighton & Hove has a similar mixture of residents as Hastings, this result suggests that at the next local election, B and H will remain a hung council, but without any LibDems on it.[/quote] You are forgetting to factor in the following:-
another 12 months of awful economic news,
strikes,
house prices falling,
the return of negative equity,
repossessions,
insolvencies rising,
inflation way above the "official" level,
below inflation wage rises,
two unpopular wars with one if not both leading to a humiliating withdrawal,
body bags continuing to come home,
unchecked immigration,
more stealth taxes,
more political correctness,
Throw the above into the pot over the next 12 months and next May "New" Liebour is finished in Brighton even with the support of our temporary residents the "students" who see the world through rose tinted spectacles.
Stroller wrote:
If Brighton & Hove has a similar mixture of residents as Hastings, this result suggests that at the next local election, B and H will remain a hung council, but without any LibDems on it.
You are forgetting to factor in the following:-
another 12 months of awful economic news,
strikes,
house prices falling,
the return of negative equity,
repossessions,
insolvencies rising,
inflation way above the "official" level,
below inflation wage rises,
two unpopular wars with one if not both leading to a humiliating withdrawal,
body bags continuing to come home,
unchecked immigration,
more stealth taxes,
more political correctness,
Throw the above into the pot over the next 12 months and next May "New" Liebour is finished in Brighton even with the support of our temporary residents the "students" who see the world through rose tinted spectacles.
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