A dent has been made in the Conservative majority at Breckland district council, despite other parties making inroads into power at the authority.
Breckland Council is still under the leadership of the Tories, who won 30 of the 49 available seats at the election on May 4 - although the party lost six seats.
Controversy around a hustings event in Mattishall involving two Conservative candidates, Paul Claussen and Paul Plummer did not prevent them from both retaining their seats.
Speaking after the election result, Sam Chapman-Allen, Conservative leader of the council, said: “I think across the day on Friday and seeing what was happening across the country there was a hesitation around what Breckland could look like.
"I was confident that everything that Breckland, as a Conservative-controlled council has done over the last four years, stood us in good stead, which I believed played out in the results.
“I am disappointed to lose seats, that is the cut and thrust of politics. I am very grateful for everyone involved, from those who stood for election, to those who voted.”
Alison Webb, Conservative councillor for Dereham Neatherd, secure re-election.
Ms Webb said: “I am absolutely proud and delighted that the residents voted for me to continue in my role.
“I would like to give massive thanks to all who voted for me and I will continue to support all residents.”
Labour made the biggest gains, securing five new seats and now controlling 12 across the district.
This includes both seats in Toftwood ward, as Kendra Cogman and Sarah Simpson beat the Conservatives’ Stuart Green and Philip Duigan - with less than 100 votes separating the two parties.
READ MORE: Norfolk council election results as Tories battered
Ms Simpson said: “On the doorstep and at the polling station there were two clear things. There is a lot of dissatisfaction with the national government which has been expressed up and down the land.
“It really came across that there was dissatisfaction with the people who were meant to represent them at a district level, that was said a lot to us during the campaign.
“We are delighted with the result, we are now fired up to do this role justice for the people of Toftwood.”
A new independent candidate was elected and the Green Party lost one of the two seats they had gained in 2019 back to the Conservatives.
The Liberal Democrats' Mitchell Thurbon was elected in Hermitage ward, the party's first in Breckland since 1999.
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