Yorkshire local elections 2019 roundup: Conservatives collapse in York and Scarborough, Labour lose seats in Barnsley, Sheffield, Leeds and Wakefield but take back Calderdale, Lib Dems surge

Conservative Cllrs Helen Mallory and John Nock discus the events at the local election count at the Scarborough Spa. pic Richard Ponter

A collapse in the number of Conservative councillors has dramatically reshaped the political landscape in two Yorkshire town halls as voters deserted the two main parties in this year's local elections.

In the City of York, which had been run by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, the Tories were virtually wiped out and went from 12 councillors to two. The Liberal Democrats made huge gains and were close to having a majority with 21 councillors while Labour added four councillors.

In Scarborough, where the Conservatives had effective control with half the authority's 50 councillors, the party's majority was wiped out.

The Tories finished the day on 16 seats having started on 25. Independents picked up 14 seats and Labour 13. In a humiliating episode for the party it also lost a number of prominent councillors.

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Yvette Cooper "wouldn't know democracy if it scratched her in the eyeballs", says Wakefield councillor

Elsewhere, the leader of a Yorkshire council described Labour's local election performance in his borough as its worst in 15 years as the party lost seats on a number of its councils in the region.

In the counts to take place so far across Yorkshire and the Humber, Labour have lost seven seats on Barnsley council, four on Leeds council, four in Sheffield and three on Wakefield despite maintaining its grip on all four authorities.And in Wakefield, a re-elected Labour councillor launched an explosive attack on the party’s MP for Pontefract, Normanton and Castleford, Yvette Cooper over her stance on Brexit, saying she “wouldn’t know democracy if it scratched her in the eyeballs”.

Labour's Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council's portfolio holder for transport, congratulates Tory Trish Smith after she ousts him from his Pudsey seat.

But the party looks set to take control of Calderdale, which has been under no overall control since 2002, after gaining a number of seats from the Conservatives. It was already the largest party and needed just two seats to win back Halifax Town Hall.

Labour held onto Hull council, which remained unchanged, and gained a seat in Bradford, but the Conservatives gained control of North East Lincolnshire Council for the first time since the authority was formed.