LABOUR tightened its grip on Durham County Council today (Friday, May 3) with a landslide victory in the local elections.

The party swept back to power, capturing a total of 94 seats across the county, to increase its majority from a slender nine seats to a comfortable 62.

The Liberal Democrats lost 12 seats, several of them in their traditional Durham City heartland, to end the day with just nine councillors.

Meanwhile, the combined Independent groupings on the county council ended the day on 19 seats, down by nine.

Labour leader Coun Simon Henig described the result in Durham City as a "very significant political moment".

He added: "We have reversed a decade of Lib Dem gains - if this election had been fought on the old district lines we would have taken Durham City.

"This result is at the higher end of our expectations which reflects the feeling on the doorstep.

"Clearly, things remain difficult for us, but there will be more to say on that in coming weeks. For now I am just delighted with this result and a much-expanded and much-changed Labour Group - this is a new generation of Labour councillors who have been elected."

Several high profile Lib Dem figures lost their seats to Labour, including former Parliamentary candidate Carol Woods in Sherburn, mayor John Wilkinson in Deerness Valley and Dennis Southwell, in Belmont.

Lib Dem leader Nigel Martin, who held onto his seat in Nevilles Cross, admitted he was disappointed at the result, but insisted it was not unusual for a party in power nationally to lose seats during a mid-term local election.

He added: "While canvassing it was clear people were unhappy about what is happening at County Hall under the Labour Party and looking at some of the results in the coalfield in East Durham what struck me was how low the turnouts were".

One of the most dramatic results came in Consett North, where Alex Watson, the long-serving former Labour leader of Derwentside District Council now standing as an Independent, was elected in second place behind Lib Dem Owen Temple at the expense of Clive Robson, Labour’s cabinet member for housing.

The campaign was marked by bitter rows over the location of a new academy school being built in Consett and the withdrawal of free school transport for Catholic children.

Coun Watson said: "The Labour Party treated me appallingly badly after more than 40 years service. Labour has not represented the people of Consett North. The county council were hell-bent on building the academy on a greenfield site and it didn’t go down well".

Coun Temple added: "Consett feels neglected by Labour - worse than that, it actually feels put upon by Labour and it has told them so. It is not often that a portfolio holder loses their seat".