Key details of seats gained, lost and the make-up of the English local government map

State of the parties (at 9.00am Friday): Conservatives gain 735 councillors but lose 209 (+526), Labour gains 93 but loses 850 (-757), Lib Dems gain 424 but lose 253 (+173)

Across England Labour is thought to have dropped three percentage points, with the Conservatives and the Lib Dems up one per cent each. The Tories top the poll with around 34 per cent of votes cast.

Conservatives gain 28 councils including: East Staffordshire and Castle Point from Labour, Hyndburn from Labour, Basildon from no overall control - plus it wins Congleton, Melton, Taunton Deane, Mid Suffolk, Ribble Valley, South Oxfordshire, Poole and Worcester. The party also secures Stratford on Avon, Mendip, St Edmundsbury and South Kesteven.

Tories lose: control of Carlisle. Plymouth falls to Labour. Torbay falls to the Lib Dems

Labour loses 28 councils including: North East Lincolnshire, East Staffordshire, Hyndburn, Bolton, Rochdale, Castlepoint, Exeter and Bristol. Birmingham also falls from Labour control. Chesterfield and Durham go to the Lib Dems

Lib Dems: lose overall control of Brentwood. Gains Watford, Durham, Chesterfield and Torbay.

BNP: gains wards in Broxbourne, Stoke on Trent and Calderdale. Takes the seat of the deputy leader of Burnley Council - securing seven Burnley seats in total.

Turnout is low across England, with postal ballots lifting numbers in some areas. Early suggestions point to a turnout of around 35 per cent.