Posted on 05/04/2006 9:03:10 PM PDT by Heatseeker
The Conservatives look to be on course for their best local election performance since they last won national power in 1992.
On the projected share of the votes if the local polls were held nationwide, the Tories are on 40%, ahead of the Lib Dems' 27% and Labour's 26%.
As well as net gains of more than 200 seats, the Tories have won control of councils like Crawley and Merton.
But opponents say they have failed to breakthrough in northern cities.
Ealing gain
There have been Tory wins in areas such as Shrewsbury & Atcham, Bassetlaw and Mole Valley.
The party's win in Crawley stripped Labour of control of the town for the first time since the early 1970s.
And the Tories picked up Ealing from Labour in what is seen as a "bellweather seat" for general election prospects.
Conservative chairman Francis Maude told BBC News 24: "None of us are... saying we are about to storm into Downing Street.
"This is a good start...it looks like where we are is at the top end of people's expectations."
But in St Albans, Hertfordshire, the Tories lost a seat to the Liberal Democrats on the length of a pencil.
After three recounts in Wheathampstead ward each had 1,132 votes, and the seat was won by the party that picked the longest pencil.
The Tories also lost Gosport to no overall control, with the Lib Dems making gains.
Among the councils the party has so far held are Tamworth in Staffordshire - where they gained five seats from Labour - and Brentwood in Essex, where they gained six seats from Liberal Democrats.
It is the first electoral test for Conservative leader David Cameron since he became leader last December.
But Lib Dem frontbencher Ed Davey said the Tories had failed to make inroads in cities such as Manchester and Liverpool.
I'm an (ex-) crab.
BIG Tory win, from 37-31 Labour to 43-27 Conservative. Crowdon Council have got results by ward.
Point of order.
[British] Tories get best result since 1992
Should read: [English] Tories get best result since 1992.
No elections in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
As in RAF, nickname for the RAF is crab for anyone who wants to know, as they never fly in a straight line to get from point a to point b.
Also, I understand, summat' to do with Crabfat (the manufacturer of a tastefully hued blue/gray paint) and perhaps 'walking sideways', a jolly jack (fishead) tried to explain it all to me once :-) (or maybe it was a Boot?).
Our US friends will have bit of trouble with this ;-).
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