It was a case of “as you were” following Calderdale’s anti-climactic council election results.
With no control from any party within the council, Labour took eight seats while the Conservatives took six.
And despite a less-than-sunny outlook for Labour nationwide, the party surged forwards gaining four extra seats in wards across Calderdale, while the Tories won two.
Read more: Kirklees Election Results 2016: Final results are all in
The Tories won and held Brighouse and Rastrick respectively, while Hipperholme held its Tory seat with four times the amount of votes compared to Labour.
But it was the Liberal Democrats who really trumped expectations, winning an extra two seats, including Elland, in addition to holding its seat for Greetland & Stainland.
Lib Dem councillor for the Warley ward James Baker said: “We have done a lot better this year compared to last year.”
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Liberal Democrats took the three remaining seats, with no wins for UKIP or the Greens.
Labour’s Megan Swift took the seat from her husband, Calderdale Council leader Cllr Tim Swift, for Halifax town centre.
Cllr Swift tweeted following the announcement: “Great news for Megan winning again with 1283 votes for Labour in Town ward #Calderdale”.
Following the results he said that despite little change in the split council, overall figures had suggested a win for Labour.
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“We were going into this election with a strong record, despite a number of the Conservatives thought they would make huge gains.
“We’re very pleased with the results. Labour won the most seats on the night and the most votes on the night.
“When you look at the overall figures, the party won the most overall votes across Calderdale.
“They remain the largest party in the council and we hope to carry on like that.”
