THE Conservatives were celebrating success across most of rural North Yorkshire yesterday, after consolidating their hold in some authorities and gaining ground in others.

But for Labour, the day was a disaster, making no gains and being swept from their once-dominant position on the unitary authority of York by the Lib Dems.

In Richmondshire, the Tories saw their number of seats rise by four to 11, making them the single biggest party on the district council.

However, the authority remains hung, with the Independents gaining four seats to hold nine, and the Liberal Democrats, although losing two, still holding eight.

The election was a personal success for council leader John Blackie, who took 487 votes as a Conservative in his Hawes and Abbotside ward against the Richmond Association of Independent Councillors' candidate Clive Rudd, who received only 68.

"I am obviously delighted, but we have a similar situation to what we had before, and clearly from time to time groups will have to work together," he said.

In neighbouring Hambleton, where the size of the authority has been reduced from 47 to 44 seats, the Tories consolidated their hold on the authority, holding 36 seats, while the Liberal Democrat, Independent and Labour groups lost one each.

In the hung council of Ryedale, both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives had hoped to take control but in the end neither achieved their aim.

The Tories gained two and are the largest group with 13 seats.

The Liberal-Democrats gained three seats, giving them a total of eight. They are now planning to hold talks with the Independents, who gained one seat - taking their total to seven - about continuing their local coalition.

In the Scarborough Borough Council area the Tories took overall control while Harrogate remains hung, although the Conservatives, with 27 seats, are thought likely to take the administrative reins from the Liberal-Democrats, who hold 25.

In York, the Labour group was left licking its wounds after its 20-year reign was ended by the Liberal-Democrats.

The once-dominant group lost ten of its seats, leaving it with 15 against the Liberal-Democrats' 29.

The city's three Conservative councillors all lost their seats.