Live coverage as votes are counted and results declared in council seats across England
Ukip wins 10 seats in Rotherham
Early results suggest main parties' worst fears realised
Read the 5.30am summary
This blog has now closed - Rolling coverage continues here
5.36am BST
I'm about to hand over to Andrew Sparrow, who is starting a new blog here's the link. Things are still very fluid, with 49 councils declared so far, but there are some trends and highlights to flag:
Labour has won Hammersmith and Fulham, a flagship Tory council. The Conservatives also lost Brentwood, home of Eric Pickles.
5.21am BST
Andy Slaughter, the Labour MP for Hammersmith, says his party took 11 seats from the Conservatives.
Dave Hill points out to me that Eric Pickles called Hammersmith and Fulham council "the apple of my eye" (see here). I reckon he's going off it now.
5.14am BST
This, reports Dave Hill, is "sensational".
Hammersmith and Fulham is was a flagship Tory council and one of David Cameron's favourites. A painful result for the Conservatives.
5.10am BST
Labour is having a good night or can we say morning now? in Redbridge:
Can confirm that Labour has taken three Tory seats in Redbridge Hainault ward. A bonus.
5.07am BST
Lightweight:
Out for the count in #Brent #Vote2014 pic.twitter.com/trRzjDbmqD
5.05am BST
Bristol city council remains as no overall control.
5.02am BST
Ukip has taken six seats on Portsmouth city council, meaning the Lib Dems lose overall control. There will be fraught discussions ahead, says the BBC's Peter Henley:
Conservatives talking to Lab and UKIP about forming administration on Portsmouth. Lib Dems say won't work with UKIP pic.twitter.com/5w181irJRG
5.00am BST
There is action in Redbridge, where Dave Hill is watching the count for us:
Labour has held all three seats in Mayfield ward, Redbridge. First result of night in this Labour target London borough
4.56am BST
PA has just filed this wrap of what we know from the 46 councils that have declared so far. In short, Ukip is happy:
The Tories and Labour suffered today as voters turned to Ukip in the local elections, with the two largest parties in Westminster losing control of councils as a result of gains for Nigel Farage's "people's army".
Stunning results in southern councils appeared to indicate that Essex Man was increasingly voting Ukip and, in a worrying sign for Ed Miliband, the party also made inroads in Labour's northern heartlands.
4.48am BST
Unofficially, Labour has taken all three seats in Redbridge Hainault ward from Tories. They weren't expecting joy in that one.....
4.42am BST
Observers in Croydon say it is looking increasingly likely that Labour is going to win this one. Rob Booth is hanging on in there:
With dawn in Croydon comes the first result and it's a big one for Labour, taking both seats in the key ward of New Addington, and heavily too.
Oliver Lewis and Louisa Woodley took the seats in what an on-message Lewis said was a victory for "the politics of hope". Woodley said the Conservatives, who held one of the seats from the 2010 poll, has "abandoned" the people of the ward.
4.37am BST
Results could be imminent in Redbridge:
Turnout in Redbridge was 39.7%. Healthy.
4.37am BST
Conservatives lose Maidstone to no overall control.
We definitely have a trend here: Ukip gains 4, Labour gains 1, Tories lose 5.
4.32am BST
Dawn is breaking and it feels as if I've missed an entire night's sleep.
Oh.
Birds tweeting outside Cambridge Guildhall...but still no results declared
4.30am BST
I noted earlier that several of the councils that the Tories have lost to no overall control were as a direct result of the Ukip surge. Labour has lost Thurrock to NOC for very similar reasons:
Ukip gained five seats in Thurrock, Essex, meaning that Labour lost control of the council. Nigel Farage's party took two seats from Labour and three from the Conservatives.
The council now has no party with an overall majority, with 23 Labour seats, 18 Conservative, six Ukip and two independents.
4.28am BST
We are getting the first results from Croydon:
Labour swings to New Addington taking both seats - key result in the party's bid to take Croydon from the Conservatives
4.27am BST
Labour took 22 seats, the Conservatives 14, the Lib Dems 5 that's a Tory gain of 2, a Labour gain of 1, and a Lib Dem loss of 3.
The new council: Lab 77, C 31, LD 12.
4.23am BST
Counting is still going on in Croydon, too, reports Rob Booth:
No declarations yet down here at the Trinity school as dawn looms, but the informed talk is Labour has a very good chance of retaking Croydon council.
The Tories can only lose three seats and wise heads among the Tories here fear that may well have happened. It would be only a small majority, but it's likely to mean that in the wards which cover the tight parliamentary marginal of Croydon Central up for grabs next year, Labour would have won.
4.21am BST
Dave Hill is still awaiting results in Redbridge:
We seem at last on the brink of some results in Redbridge, one of Labour's big target boroughs in London.
Word from the wise is that it's "very, very close", though you might not be saying anything else at this stage. Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Tooting and organiser of his party's campaign in London, is now here and making generally upbeat noises about Labour's performance on the night. In his Tory-dominated home patch of Wandsworth he says Labour has had its best results since the mid 1980s.
4.19am BST
Mike Hancock the Portsmouth MP who lost the Lib Dem whip earlier this year has lost his council seat in Fratton to Ukip.
Mike Hancock has come THIRD in Fratton, the ward he has represented for 40 years. Brutal.
4.12am BST
My word my colleague Simon Ricketts points out that Ukip's Winston Mackenzie has been a member of every one of the major political parties.
Wikipedia also tells me he has been a boxer, a hairdresser, a rug wholesaler, a letting agent and a garage mechanic. He also ran a pub. He's now a youth worker.
4.09am BST
A number of councils have fallen from Tory hands into no overall control:
Basildon (Ukip gain 11)
4.04am BST
Labour loses Thurrock to no overall control. Ukip won 5 seats here.
4.02am BST
We are starting to hear a little more from the London counts. Our man on the scene is Dave Hill:
Very, very strong hint in my ear that Labour has won #Merton. First lab gain of the night. #london
Best results for Labour in Wandsworth since mid 1980s I'm told.
3.59am BST
Some clarification from PA on the situation in Tamworth, which can't seem to decide if it's going to be Tory-run or NOC:
The Conservatives came close to losing control of Tamworth in Staffordshire, where they lost a seat to Ukip. One more loss would have meant that no party had overall control.
The new council line-up is Conservatives 16, Labour 12, independent and Ukip one each.
3.56am BST
Ukip's Neil Hamilton (yes, that one) has failed to be elected as a councillor in Wandsworth.
The Conservatives retained control of the council but lost five seats; Labour gained six.
3.53am BST
More from Rob Booth in Croydon, where the action is only now starting:
The BNP fielded five candidates in Croydon in the wards of New Addington, Fieldway and Heathfield, and one of its candidates, Cliff Le May, has just been relaying the news to me that Ukip's rise has boosted support for the far right party.
We've had a really positive campaign and stronger in terms of public reaction than in 2010, the 55-year-old said following his campaign for a seat in the southern suburb of New Addington. That's not to do with us but the failure of the Conservatives and Labour. They don't believe a word the Conservatives say and Labour is seen as the party of immigration.
3.50am BST
Based on voting in the 38 councils that have declared so far (a note of caution: this includes none of the London wards), Sky News have calculated what the House of Commons could look like after the 2015 general election:
Labour would have 308 seats, up 50.
3.46am BST
Inevitably, politicians from the main parties have had to explain why they think Ukip has eaten into their votes:
Labour former minister David Lammy told Sky News: "There's no doubt about it, Ukip are biting into parts of Labour's working-class vote.
"Ukip have a very simple message, which is if you're worried about your son's unemployment, if you're renting, if you can't get a council house, if your wages are stagnating, that the problem is immigration and the solution is we're going to pull out of Europe.
3.43am BST
My colleague Rob Booth is still at the Croydon count, where the Ukip mood is not so buoyant:
Despite the Ukip gains in council seats nationally there's a tone of gloom in Croydon. I've just had a chat with a beleaguered Winston Mackenzie, the party's candidate for the South Norwood ward at the Croydon count. He is full of hurt about the attacks on Ukip as a racist party and says the message has really hit home with voters in Croydon, perhaps because it is one of the most mixed parts of the country, with the council predicting white people will make up 40% of the population by 2021. And who can forget the fiasco of UKIP's "carnival", which was picketed by anti-racism campaigners.
Mackenzie told the Guardian: This has been one of the worst elections I have ever known in terms of people saying Ukip is racist this has really damaged Ukip. All sections of the media and all three main parties have come together to devise a way to demean Ukip and divide the people. What I am most hurt about is seeing a white person comment about racism. The type of racism I face is on a daily basis.
3.38am BST
A rare glimmer of light on a dark night for the Lib Dems they've kept hold of Eastleigh (home of Chris Huhne). Ukip doesn't appear to have won any seats here.
3.36am BST
Basildon falls to no overall control as Ukip surges, taking seats from both Labour and the Tories. Ukip now have a total of 12 seats on Basildon council.
3.30am BST
This is a rather depressing finding for people who like facts: 52% of the public think Ed Miliband went to private school (he went to a comprehensive). Only 36% think Nigel Farage was privately educated (he went to very private Dulwich College):
Most of public think Ed Miliband went to private school, few think Farage did. BuzzFeed/YouGov http://t.co/aV8QY7DGIw pic.twitter.com/iogYRP03Sc
3.28am BST
Brentwood constituency of the Tory secretary of state for local government, Eric Pickles has slipped from the Conservatives to no overall control.
3.23am BST
Basingstoke elects candidate kicked out of UKIP after branding local women "pug ugly"
3.22am BST
The Conservatives has lost two further councils Purbeck and Brentwood to no overall control.
3.16am BST
Labour holds Harlow.
Tamworth goes to no overall control (note: this was amended at 3.34am initial figures had Tamworth as a Conservative hold).
3.14am BST
The Labour press team spills the beans on what it calls "Lib Dem meltdown in Haringey". It claims the Lib Dem group leader in Haringey has left the count.
The Hornsey and Wood Green constituency, in Haringey, currently held by Lib Dem minister Lynne Featherstone, is a Labour target for 2015.
3.09am BST
A few more results landing now:
Conservatives hold Fareham.
3.07am BST
#Vote2014 seats so far: Labour 240 (+13) Conservatives 174 (-51) UKIP 56 (+56) Lib Dems 32 (-19) Green 0 (0) http://t.co/V4MgCFWjxm
3.06am BST
The leader of Portsmouth's Tory group, Donna Jones, has said she would consider forming a coalition with Ukip if the council falls to no overall control (it's currently Lib Dem-run). The local Ukip chairman, Stuart Potter, wasn't keen:
There is absolutely no chance of a coalition happening, we would be selling ourselves out for our beliefs.
Here's the new line-up in Portsmouth - UKIP could hold balance of power pic.twitter.com/LbKNmqCsWM
3.00am BST
David Dimbleby challenges Stephen Woolfe, Ukip's economics spokesman, who apparently said the party would not perform well in London because the capital is "multicultural and young". Woolfe denies that this means Ukip is for the old and white. But there are signs that the Ukip effect is not showing up in London:
UKIP appears less strong in London, polling at 6pc
2.55am BST
Labour holds Dudley.
Labour holds Lincoln.
2.54am BST
This is the Ukip effect:
Basildon falls into NO overall control. no longer tory #vote2014
2.49am BST
Conservatives lose Tamworth to no overall control.
Conservatives lose Southend-on-Sea to no overall control.
2.47am BST
Croydon count where first ward is expected to declare in about 20 mins pic.twitter.com/7cUWo05MtA
2.46am BST
Ukip's director of communications, Patrick O'Flynn, is feeling chipper:
Ukip surging all over the country. So proud or our people's army.
2.43am BST
Conservatives hold Hertsmere.
Conservatives hold Havant.
2.42am BST
My colleagues are filing stories thick and fast. I'll post snippets here when I can, but here's a reading list:
Labour reels from Ukip 'mayhem'
2.38am BST
A quick round-up of gains and losses so far, nabbed off Emily Maitlis on the BBC:
Labour + 6 seats
2.36am BST
2.34am BST
Ukip gains caused the first change of council control of the night it didn't win Castle Point but it took the council out of Conservative hands and into no overall control, reports PA:
The first council to change hands was at Castle Point, which covers Canvey Island in Essex.
Five Ukip gains left Tories one seat short of overall control. Conservatives were left with 20 seats, independents with 16 and Ukip with five.
2.31am BST
Here's what you'll be seeing on the front page of your Guardian on Friday morning (I know it's already Friday morning. I mean morning morning):
Guardian front page - final edition, Friday 23 May 2014: Labour reels from Ukip poll 'mayhem' pic.twitter.com/bydhPWWY37
2.29am BST
The Hull Daily Mail reports that turnout in Hull was 21%, which it says is the lowest on record there.
2.28am BST
Conservatives hold Tandridge.
We've heard from fewer than 20 councils so far: around 50 were expecting to declare before 3.30am. Either that target is going to be missed by a mile, or I'm going to have a very busy hour.
We've not reached 20 councils declared yet. These were the expected times #longnight #Elections2014 pic.twitter.com/AV4Ctc33UP
2.23am BST
LDs say they are holding on in Eastleigh, a UKIP target.
2.23am BST
A round-up of recent declarations:
Labour holds Cannock Chase.
2.20am BST
Ukip's exuberant Winston Mackenzie has just been on the BBC. I'm not quite sure how to quote him. He says Ukip is definitely not racist and Nigel Farage is a Christian man. He isn't sure Ukip is going to make real inroads in Croydon. The status quo is no more, he adds, shouting at David Dimbleby, his interviewer, to "wake up!" Perhaps Dimbleby was looking a little droopy-eyed. I do know the feeling.
2.09am BST
Helen Pidd has filed from the Rotherham count, where Ukip has shown its strength:
Ukip is celebrating after winning 10 seats in Rotherham, ousting several prominent Labour councillors including the deputy leader of the council.
The assertive victory was seized on by the anti-EU party has proof it appeals to working class Labour voters as well as disaffected Tories. The win far exceeded Ukip hopes and Labour's worst fears.
Ukip won seven seats from Labour and two from the Conservatives and held the one seat it won in a byelection last year. They also scooped up votes from the disintegrating British National Party, which had two councillors in its 2008 peak.
Labour will keep control of the council it has run for 80 years, but Ukip is now the official opposition.
2.06am BST
My colleague John Crace is biting about the broadcasters' attempts to fill the airwaves before results started coming in. No problems with that on this blog, of course. Ahem.
We quickly cut to live from inside a hall in Eastleigh, where nobody was exactly rushing to count votes. We soon found out why. "There's going to be no change in overall control here," said a reporter, "because only 15 out of the 44 seats are up for grabs." Anushka Asthana reported from Birmingham: "It's pretty quiet here." Tears began to form in Adam Boulton's eyes.
2.00am BST
Doesn't mean much this early, but at mo cllrs: Lab +3, Con -20, UKIP +23, LD-6 (4200 seats up)
1.57am BST
Ukip has gained four seats in Southend-on-Sea two from the Conservatives and two from the Lib Dems. The Conservatives look likely to lose overall control of the council, the Press Association reports.
1.56am BST
More on that glum night for Labour in Rotherham:
Terrible night for Labour in Rotherham - they'll still control the council (they have for 80 years) but with a proper opposition.
1.55am BST
My colleagues Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt report on where the parties find themselves at this point in the small hours:
Labour was confronting the first signs of the Ukip political earthquake as Nigel Farage's surge prevented Labour from making its expected gains and weakened its grip in some of its northern heartlands.
Ukip polled more than a third of the vote in wards in northern cities such as Sunderland and Hull, where it had previously had little or no presence. In Labour target seats further south and east, such as Swindon and Portsmouth, a strong Ukip vote was destroying Labour hopes of making more than 400 council gains. The Labour group leader in Portsmouth admitted the Ukip performance was "causing mayhem". There were also signs that Ukip was doing remarkably well in London and the home counties, confirming Farage's claim that he could inflict unpredictable damage to the main parties across England, so leaving them less than a year to win the electorate back before a first-past-the-post general election.
1.53am BST
The results are coming in a little faster now:
Conservatives hold Runnymede.
1.52am BST
Independents win 6, Ukip win 5, Conservatives win 3 seats. Which means Ukip has gained 5, Tories have lost 5. The new council: C 20, Ind 16, UKIP 5.
Castle Point covers Canvey Island, Benfleet, Thundersley and Hadleigh.
1.47am BST
Steven Morris is still in Swindon, where the Tories are celebrating an increased majority:
Labour suffered a major blow in a key election battleground when it failed to make in-roads against the Tories in Swindon and both parties lost votes to Ukip.
Labour group leader Jim Grant said the Tory vote had held up while Labour seemed to have suffered in marginal seats. There's a lot of work to be done before next year's general election.
1.39am BST
Significant Ukip advances in Rotherham:
Rotherham Dinnington: first official Ukip win. (1,293 to Labour's 1,195). Ukip weren't even trying in Dinnington.
It's official: Ukip gain Rotherham West from Labour, ousting deputy leader Jahangir Akhtar. (1,567 votes for Ukip to Lab's 1,528)
Tories have lost Rotherham Sitwell to Ukip - 1,176 votes for Ukip to Tories 1,101.
Another Ukip gain in Rotherham Keppel: 1,658 votes to Labour's 1,258.
Another Ukip gain in Rotherham Valley - 1,387 votes for Ukip to Labour's 1, 387 (that's 5 Ukip gains so far; 1 Tory loss, 3 Lab holds)
1.33am BST
Some drama in Rotherham, writes Helen Pidd:
Labour's Jahangir Akhtar, deputy leader of Rotherham council, has lost his seat to Ukip. Provisional results suggest he has lost to Maureen Vines by 39 votes, though there could yet be a recount.
Akhtar, first elected in 2000, lost his seat after being embroiled in Rotherham's child sex grooming scandal. He was accused of covering up abuse by his cousin a charge he always denied. He stepped down for several months while police investigated and was reinstated late year when detectives decide there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.
He will lose his £21,443 salary after being ousted in his Rotherham West ward by Vines, whose husband, Caven Vines, looks set to hold his seat in Rawmarsh. Vines last year became Ukip's first directly elected councillor in Rotherham in a byelection.
1.32am BST
My colleague Dave Hill sends me this from Redbridge:
I'm perched in a gallery at Redbridge town hall, of which Labour hopes to take control for the first time in its history. Down below, the count is proceeding, though a result is not expected before 3:00. Sadiq Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting who has masterminded Labour's campaign in the capital, is expected to pay a visit before long. This is one of his five target boroughs and to fail to win it would be a disappointment.
Redbridge typifies how many of the capital's suburban areas have come within Labour's range, largely because of demographic change over time. Much of outer London is becoming home to larger percentages of less well off people and also becoming more diverse. Ethnic minorities now account for well over half of Redbridge's population, with Londoners of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent accounting for the biggest part of recent change.
1.29am BST
An amendment: an earlier report that the Conservatives lost Broxbourne to no overall control was wrong, based on incorrect figures supplied to us. Apologies. The Tories have in fact retained control. The post has now been corrected see here.
1.21am BST
This was a Labour target but it hasn't gone their way. Tories win11, Labour 8, Lib Dems 1.
1.19am BST
Happy Tories in Broxbourne:
Successful Conservative candidates celebrating in Broxbourne borough elections #mercelections pic.twitter.com/iWirU5quAV
1.17am BST
It looks as if the Conservatives have retained Swindon with an increased majority, the Swindon Advertiser reports.
1.14am BST
No change in Broxbourne, as the Tories win nine seats, Labour 1, Ukip 1.
Ukip gained 1, Conservatives lost 1.
[NOTE: This post was amended at 1.25am: Press Association originally reported that the Conservatives had lost control of Broxbourne council to no overall control. That was later rectified. Apologies for confusion.)
1.12am BST
Fascinating numbers from Sunderland, showing the shift in votes since 2010. Cheer for Ukip; gloom for the Lib Dems:
Sunderland Changes since 2010 locals: Lab -2.64% UKIP +24.30% Con -5.76% Ind -0.14% LD -14.57% Green +1.53% Swing, 1.56% from Con to Lab
1.11am BST
Results are beginning to come in from Birmingham, the UK's largest local authority:
First Birmingham result. Longbridge - Lab hold but Tory incredibly close 2nd and UKIP v close 3rd. Lib Dems from 1600 to 157 behind greens.
1.07am BST
Ukip has won a seat in Broxbourne, Herts:
Hoddesdon Town & Rye Park (Broxbourne) Result: UKIP - 41.4% CON - 40.1% LAB - 18.5%
1.06am BST
1.00am BST
We have another council result: South Tyneside is held by Labour. Ukip lost one of its seats there.
Labour: 17
12.56am BST
The initial two results from Hull are similar to those in Sunderland with UKIP winning 28% of the vote in both cases.
12.49am BST
Speedy Sunderland is done and dusted: Labour holds the council with 21 seats; Conservatives have three, independents (and mayor-ouster) one.
12.48am BST
Ukip has so far taken two seats on Basildon council, in Pitsea North West and Nethermayne wards.
Here are the victorious councillors:
Well done mum...well done son...! Ukip's two latest councillors #Basildon2014 #EssexElections pic.twitter.com/Hpwue3MBCX
12.43am BST
Steven Morris sends this from Swindon:
Labour suffered a blow in a key election battleground when it failed to make in-roads against the Tories in Swindon and both parties lost votes to Ukip.
Labour group leader Jim Grant, insisted that Miliband's gaffe had not had an impact on Labour's disappointing showing in Swindon. That's a big media event, I don't think it has affected what has happened here. I'm a big fan of Ed but we've all got to work harder to get our message across.
12.36am BST
Here is confirmation of that Ukip win in Basildon:
Pitsea North West (Basildon) Result: UKIP - 45.1% LAB - 35.4% CON - 16.7% LDEM - 2.8%
12.35am BST
Perhaps the voters of Croydon did not enjoy the Ukip carnival:
Lab sources saying UKIP affecting all 3 parties, Lab strong in London esp Tower Hamlets & Croydon
12.32am BST
Ah, here we go there's a seat for the Lib Dems, in Swindon's Eastcott ward:
Eastcott (Swindon) Result: LDEM - 44.0% LAB - 31.3% UKIP - 9.3% CON - 8.8% GRN - 6.6%
12.29am BST
Reports that the MP and former Lib Dem Mike Hancock has lost his council seat in Portsmouth to Ukip:
Rumours that former Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock has lost his council seat to UKIP in Portsmouth pic.twitter.com/kvTyd3sf9q
12.25am BST
Confirmation of reader Ganesh Rao's early tip: the mayor of Sunderland, Labour's Bob Heron, loses his seat to an independent candidate in the Copt Hill ward.
12.22am BST
In case David Cameron has rectified his earlier mistake and has now begun reading this blog, he will probably have Ukip on his mind. Nicholas Watt sends this:
There is pressure on David Cameron from the Tory Eurosceptic right. Douglas Carswell, a leading Eurosceptic who favours a UK exit from the EU, says the Tories should form a general election pact with Ukip.
In a Daily Telegraph blog Carswell appears to suggest Ukip could decide not to stand against Tories who voted in favour of an EU referendum in a Commons 2011 vote. Cameron now favours a referendum but was opposed to one in 2011.
Next, we need a pact with Ukip. If David Cameron is as serious about an In/Out vote in 2017 as he says he is, and if Nigel Farage is as serious about Brexit as he claims, the two of them need to do a deal.
The law already allows joint candidates. We have a list of MPs on both sides of the House who in October 2011 showed that they are serious about securing an EU referendum.
12.18am BST
The Hull Daily Mail reports that Ukip has gained a council seat:
Labour's former Lord Mayor David Gemmell has conceded defeat to UKIP. He tells us: "I can't complain - I've had a good run over 26 years."
12.12am BST
Reports that Labour has made no progress in Swindon - again UKIP causing damage.
12.11am BST
Reader Ganesh Rao tweets me to say that in Sunderland, an independent candidate has booted out the mayor, Bob Heron, from his council seat.
12.07am BST
Unconfirmed reports that Ukip has won its first council seat of the night, in Dannington ward in Doncaster. I will try to find out.
Amended 1.01am: northern editor Helen Pidd tells me Doncaster is not counting tonight. So we can discount this rumour.
12.02am BST
First result in from Swindon again, a ward, not a full council, these things move slowly and the night is young. Steven Morris is there for the Guardian and sends this:
First result in from Swindon. Labour holds in one of its stronghold seats, Mannington and Western. But Ukip beats the Tories into third place 598 seats against 561.
Despite the win, Labour is admitting it is having a bad night here. Labour group leader Jim Grant has just said that the party has got to find a way to reach out to disaffected voters who are turning to Ukip.
12.00am BST
11.57pm BST
Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, must be smarting right now: it wanted to be first to declare. Some observers are now singing "why are we waiting?", says Hertfordshire Mercury reporter Victoria Knill:
Votes frantically being counted here at Wolsey Hall, Cheshunt in the Broxbourne borough elections. #mercelections pic.twitter.com/4cdcH2EWwy
11.54pm BST
Ukip's Patrick O'Flynn, director of communications and an MEP candidate, said he wanted the party to secure more than 100 council seats, adding to Sky News:
That would be terrific for us. I think we can do it.
11.53pm BST
With 15 seats declared in Sunderland, Labour has 14 councillors and the Conservatives one, in St Michael's. These are all the results we have so far.
(Local election vote counters, please note: it is a good idea to count quickly. You then get acres of coverage on telly and in live blogs. Plus you all get to go home/to the pub earlier.)
11.50pm BST
Oh, and the Lib Dems in Sunderland? So far, their share of the vote is hovering around 3%, down 15. Nick Clegg might not be enjoying himself right now, reports Nicholas Watt:
Westminster's Kremlinologists will be watching Vince Cable with care amid speculation that Nick Clegg could be in trouble if the Lib Dems suffer a major setback in the European parliamentary elections.
Judging by his first performance of the night on Sky News the business secretary will be on his best behaviour, though with a twist. He indicated that forming a coalition with the Tories had not been his personal preference and that the decision to brand the Lib Dems as the passionately pro-EU party of "in" for the European elections had been taken by the "party leader".
The European elections the party leader took the gamble of fighting a European election on the issue of Europe which is a very unusual thing to do in the UK. Well see.
Cable said that all the main parties would suffer poor results but the Lib Dems would feel the greatest pain: We are in government. We take a kicking for the things that government does that are unpopular. It does reflect on us.
11.47pm BST
It's worth pointing out that this surge in the Ukip share of the vote in Sunderland has not yet yet translated into a council seat. But:
Popular vote so far in Sunderland: Lab 48% Con 24% UKIP 22% Green 3% LD 3% recounts in Hetton Ward UKIP possible first gain
11.40pm BST
Newsnight's Emily Maitlis also spots the strong Ukip showing in Sunderland:
Sunderland Washington Central same pattern. UKIP on 30% and all other parties flat or down. Could be an interesting night #vote2014
11.38pm BST
It's already shaping up to be a funny old night for Nick Clegg. Those first figures from Sunderland were painfully small, and now Lembit Opik has weighed in against him, reports my colleague Nicholas Watt:
Nick Clegg can relax, for the moment at least. Lembit Opik, the former Liberal Democrat MP who was famous for dating one of the Cheeky Girls and for warning of the dangers of asteroids, has all but called for him to go. He tweeted this evening:
In response to texts yes, this is Clegg's weekend of reckoning. I'll back him if LDs hold 10 MEPs. But he has responsibility if a meltdown
The target of 10 MEPs a fall of one is widely seen as an impossible target. Stephen Tall, the editor of Lib Dem Voice, joked that Clegg's patron Paddy Ashdown, who is the party's general election coordinator, must have enlisted Opik to help the deputy prime minister. Tall tweeted:
I swear Paddy's put Lembit up to call for Clegg to quit. Best defensive strategy possible.
11.35pm BST
11.33pm BST
The Ukip figures from Sunderland look very strong around the 30% mark from those wards I've seen. I will try to get my hands on more numbers.
It's not just Sunderland, either there's Rotherham:
Ukip looking very strong all over Rotherham: in wards they claim they weren't targeting as well as those they were.
John Short, the leader of Ukip in Swindon, said the party had made huge progress in the town. Locally and nationally people are looking for a change. he said.
Short, a former deputy chief executive of the borough council, said party membership had increased by 50% during the campaign.
11.26pm BST
First result of the evening: Sunderland is famously speedy in its counting.
11.24pm BST
Martin Powell, a member of Southport Liberal Democrats, emails to point out that one of descriptions registered by the party to use on ballot papers is "Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats". But, he says, "so toxic is the name Nick Clegg thought to be that in spite of a few of us looking for candidates describing themselves as this on ballot papers nationally, we have been unable to find a single one".
Anyone else?
11.23pm BST
Tory minister Liz Truss on Sky News says she expects the Tories will lose around 200 seats.
11.21pm BST
More Sunderland news (these nights always need a little showbiz):
Really proud of my Mam tonight. First election result called and she keeps her seat as a local councillor. Well done Mam. X
11.21pm BST
The same blog also reports Labour holding Sunderland's St Anne's ward: 1022 votes for Labour, but Ukip second with 702.
11.16pm BST
The UK Elections blog reports the first result of the evening: it's a ward, not a full council, so sit back down on your sofas:
Pallion (Sunderland) Result: LAB 47.8% UKIP 30.1% CON 14.3% GRN 4.8% LDEM 3.1%
11.08pm BST
Helen Pidd is in Rotherham, where things are also looking rosy for Ukip, she reports:
The ballot papers are still being verified at the Magna science centre
in Rotherham but from what I've been able to see, Ukip are going to
have a very good night.
Their biggest scalp could be Jahangir Akhtar, deputy leader of the council: I saw fewer crosses next to his name than his Ukip rival in the Rotherham West ward. But I may have seen an unrepresentative sample.
11.01pm BST
More from Steven Morris in Swindon:
Quite a lot of concern at the Oasis leisure centre, where the Swindon borough count is taking place, from the Tories and Labour over the Ukip effect. This is supposed to be a straight fight between the two parties but Ukip seems to be doing better than expected, especially in the Old Town ward, traditionally a Labour stronghold in the centre of Swindon.
Nobody is saying that they'll definitely win seats but it looks as if they are going to have an impact. The council is on a knife edge the Tories' majority was just one. Going to be mighty close.
10.58pm BST
Question Time update: 25 minutes in and there's a question that's not about Ukip (it's about housing and home-ownership).
10.58pm BST
My colleague Steven Morris confides:
Here's a bit of (very early) intelligence from Swindon. Well-placed Labour source reckons it's a good night for Ukip here.
10.57pm BST
Patrick Wintour informs me that Labour is saying turnout was in the low- to mid-thirties, and it is still expecting gains where it matters. The front page of Friday's Times, however, claims it might not be enough for under-pressure Miliband:
Friday's Times front page "Knives out for Miliband as Labour jitters grow" #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #vote2014 pic.twitter.com/zD79n0lnLY
10.54pm BST
On Twitter, @electionselfie sends me some pictures of surprisingly ecstatic/intense people casting their votes:
@Claire_Phipps there have been some cool election selfies today! #votepower #UseYourVote pic.twitter.com/pOCdUfT4iq
10.51pm BST
Question Time update: 15 minutes in and they're still talking about Ukip.
10.50pm BST
We won't see the results of the mayoral election in Tower Hamlets until Saturday, but my colleague Dave Hill has a whiff of intelligence on the outcome:
Think it's true & now OK for me to say Labour confident of mayoral triumph in Tower Hamlets, possibly by a good margin. But we shall see.
10.48pm BST
The Guardian's political editor, Patrick Wintour, points out that the Lib Dem claim to have knocked on 78,000 doors and made 101,000 phone calls in fact leaves out large parts of Britain 25 calls per council seat or perhaps 100 per seat targeted. It actually suggests a decline in activism, he says.
10.43pm BST
David Dimbleby has a busy night tonight he's already done a bout of Question Time. While we wait for some actual results from the election counts, I might dip into it on BBC1. Fans of IsNigelFarageonQuestionTime will be intrigued to learn that he is not. But Neil Hamilton, Ukip person and erstwhile cash-for-questioner, is on the panel. Inevitably the first question is about Ukip and racism.
10.38pm BST
I haven't seen a thank you message from Nick Clegg yet (I don't mean to me, but generally). But the BBC's Ross Hawkins notes this:
Lib Dems says they knocked on 78,000 doors today and made 101,000 phone calls.
10.29pm BST
Ed Miliband has also thanked Labour supporters:
Thank you to every Labour supporter out campaigning today (especially those who got soaked!).
Today, we campaigned for a Britain where hardworking people are better off. Tomorrow the campaign begins to win that same fight in May 2015.
10.27pm BST
First ballot box opening of the night:
The first ballot box arrives in Swindon - I like the Catch 22 T-shirt. pic.twitter.com/G9Y6oEUrD5
10.25pm BST
I might not personally have had a prime ministerial thank you, but Press Association relays his message:
The prime minister said he was "proud" of the Conservative campaign "whatever the results" David Cameron said: "To all the Conservatives who campaigned these past few weeks: thank you. Whatever the results, I'm proud of the campaign we fought together.
"And, with the polls now closed, I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who voted Conservative today. Your support is hugely appreciated."
10.22pm BST
Our northern editor Helen Pidd is attending the count in Rotherham, but has been criss-crossing her patch all day. She sends this from her time in Bradford:
Say what you like about George Galloway, but it's never dull when he's in town. Today the Respect leader was back in Bradford on the top deck of his party's green battlebus, touring the city with a megaphone and a limitless supply of high volume rhetoric.
This afternoon Galloway retweeted a claim by @ukrespectparty claiming their bus had been "deliberately rammed" by a Labour councillor. A video posted by the party suggested a slightly different story: one car, apparently driven by a Labour supporter, reversed into a vehicle driven by one of the Respect faithful.
Police were called. Labour's spokesman in the region said later: "There was an RTA [road traffic accident] between a car being driven by a Labour supporter, and a Respect supporter's car behind him. They've swapped insurance details." The Labour driver was not a councillor, he added.
Galloway later claimed on Twitter that "New Labour in Bradford are out of control. ANOTHER incident: a Labour councillor allegedly assaulting 1 of our campaigners Police called." More details if we get them.
Allegations always fly when Galloway is on the stump: at local elections in Bradford in May 2012 the Liberal Democrat MP for Bradford East, David Ward, made a formal complaint to police after allegedly being "harassed and intimidated" by Respect supporters. No charges were brought.
10.13pm BST
My colleague Rob Booth sends more from Croydon, but warns that we are in for a long night first results are not expected till 3.30am, with full results by 7ish:
News from the shambolic Ukip camp in Croydon. After its South Norwood candidate, Winston Mackenzie, said Nigel Farage was wise to stay away from a Ukip carnival outside the Whitgift shopping centre because Croydon was unsafe and a dump, another candidate, Herman Coach Lyken, standing in Broad Green, admitted he hadn't campaigned much.
I only joined the party the other day, he said as he prepared to head to the count. I didn't do much campaigning. It has been very low key. I will manage my expectations and see what the outcome is.
10.11pm BST
Colleagues and others on Twitter are reporting receiving an email from David Cameron thanking them for their efforts:
David Cameron has just sent me a "personal" email to thank me for all that I have done to get the Conservative vote out.
10.05pm BST
UKIP arriving in force for the count in Swindon. pic.twitter.com/jnQsmFRbgV
10.01pm BST
Voting is over. The counts will begin shortly. And soon I'll be able to post some pictures of people running with ballot boxes.
9.58pm BST
My colleague Rob Booth is in Croydon, where sadly there is no carnival tonight. He sends this dispatch:
In Croydon, one of the tightest London boroughs which was won 37 seats to 33 by the Conservatives in 2010, turnou