Local election results across the south of England

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Lib Dem leader Peter Chegwyn said he was "over the moon" after the party held on to Gosport, and promised to "bring life back" to the town.

Speaking to Hampshire & Isle of Wight political reporter, Emily Hudson, after the count, he said: "It's been a fantastic night for the Liberal Democrats in Gosport.

"We were defending nine seats out of 14 - we feared we might lose three of four of them, we've only lost one, we've kept control of Gosport council and with the way the seat pattern has come up we are probably in for at least four years.

"I am absolutely delighted and extremely grateful to the people of Gosport for voting in such numbers."

Rushmoor councillor Gareth Williams spoke after his party secured control of Rushmoor Borough Council for the first time in its history.

He credits his party's support for the armed forces for the success in Rushmoor, which holds Aldershot Military Town.

The Conservatives managed to retain control of Fareham in Hampshire.

They did lose five seats from their previous majority but they still remain firmly in control of Fareham, with 22 councillors out of an overall 32.

The Liberal Democrats gained four seats and there was one seat gained by Labour.

The Lib Dems have held on to Gosport Borough Council.

There were 15 out of 28 seats up for grabs.

Liberal Democrats has eight seats, the Conservatives six and Labour one.

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Labour held on to Southampton overnight.

The Conservatives did briefly lead the city's council in 2021 but since that one-year stint the unitary authority has been red.

Despite its overall win in the city, Labour did lose two seats from its previous total and now sits with 36 councillors.

There was one seat gained for both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

There were smiles for Labour councillors in Reading as the party held on to the unitary authority.

Wendy Griffith won the Battle ward seat, with that result announced this morning at 03:30 BST.

Labour remains on 32 seats, the Green Party gained one - up from seven to eight, the Conservatives lost one - dropping from five to four, the Liberal Democrats stayed on three and the Independents stayed on 1.

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This was a huge turnaround for Labour in a previously true blue council.

Aldershot is the home of the army and voters have been remarkably loyal to Conservatives.

Labour has never controlled this council since it was formed 50 years ago, and Aldershot has elected a Conservative MP since 1918.

Tory supporters in neighbouring constituencies held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt and Communities Secretary Michael Gove will now wonder what this could mean for them.

There was no clear winner in Portsmouth and the council remains split.

Portsmouth City Council continues to have no party majority, which has been the trend for the last four local elections.

The Liberal Democrats remain the biggest party in the city with 19 councillors but they only managed to pick up one extra seat overnight.

As a unitary authority, Portsmouth is run slightly differently to other councils and it looks after all local services, such as schools, road maintenance, bin collections, public housing and social care.

A win for Labour in Rushmoor, Hampshire.

Rushmoor Borough Council had been held by the Conservatives since the start of the century.

Thirteen seats were up for grabs and Labour gained seven of them in the borough.

The party now has an overall majority with 21 councillors overall in Rushmoor.

The Conservatives lost eight seats and the Liberal Democrats picked up one.

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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of local election results in Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Dorset.