A HUSBAND and wife are celebrating after both being elected as district councillors for a North Yorkshire local authority.

Bryn and Jackie Griffiths - both Liberal Democrat - will represent the Stokesley ward on Hambleton District Council.

Mrs Griffiths has retained her seat, but her husband is one of 12 new councillors.

Mr Griffiths said: "We are a good team and will work together - I know my place.

"It was a tighter vote than we expected and it was a bit nerve-wracking at the count.

"We worked hard through the year and were fairly confident, but when you see the votes coming in, it makes you think twice. We will work very hard for Stokesley."

Turnout was 43 per cent overall, up on the 39 per cent turnout at the last election.

Northallerton's Conservative mayor, David Blades, was re-elected with a total of 854 votes.

He said: "I'm amazed. I would like to say a big thank you to the electorate, the people of Northallerton Broomfield. I spent the last three weeks knocking on nearly 1,000 doors."

Two serving Independent councillors in Richmondshire lost their seats - Tom Burrows, in Richmond East, and Tony Pelton, who stood in Hornby Castle.

New Richmondshire councillors to be elected include North Yorkshire Conservative county councillor Melva Steckles, who beat Mr Pelton.

Another new councillor is 27-year-old Conservative Hamish Newhouse, who stood unopposed in the Newsham with Eppleby ward.

The seat held by council leader John Blackie was not contested.

The tightest result came from Melsonby, where just 16 votes separated three candidates.

The winner was Conservative candidate Jimmy Wilson-Petch.

In Ryedale, the Conservatives won the most seats again with a total of 14, but the party failed to win an outright majority as the Liberal Democrats won eight, the independents five and the Liberals one.

A major blow to the Conservatives came as Pamela Anderson, Ryedale's chairman, lost her seat.

She had been on the council for eight years and chairman for one.

She lost her Amotherby seat to Liberal Democrat Jane Wilford by 21 votes.