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More on KentOnline
Counts are in across Kent following several key elections.
Voters across Kent turned out to have their say on who represents them at KCC level.
In Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone a third of seats on the borough councils are also up for grabs after the vote was delayed by Covid-19 last year.
There were also a handful of parish by-elections and a poll for police and crime commissioner.
On top of the borough positions candidates are vying for 81 seats at County Hall and more than 5,000 nationally, prompting some to dub yesterday's vote Super Thursday.
Residents turned up in masks and had to bring their own pen or pencil as an army of workers battled to make the polls as Covid safe as possible.
Today, ballots in parish, borough and county races are being counted.
KCC results will be in first, followed by Maidstone's borough seats. Tunbridge Wells' borough winners will be announced tomorrow (Saturday) while Monday will see the county's police and crime commissioner announced.
Politically, the elections will be seen as a litmus test for how the main parties nationally are standing. They will be the first set of elections Labour has contested under leader Keir Starmer.
And while opinion polls continue to give the Conservatives a comfortable lead, the recent controversy over how a redecoration of 10 Downing Street was paid for might dent that.
We will have all the county council results along with reaction and commentary throughout the day.
The first result of the day came in just before midday in Hythe West where district councillor Georgina Treloar lost to Tory Andy Weatherhead.
Shortly after Folkestone East was won from the Tories by Labour.
Political editor Paul Francis' analysis
In the end, the Conservatives regained control of the county council comfortably, cruising over the finishing line with ease.
It could have been worse: amid the swirl of allegations surrounding PM Boris Johnson and the redecoration of Downing Street, there were fears the party might slip back.
Those fears proved unfounded and if the majority is smaller than it was, it is nevertheless a mandate that gives the party headroom to pursue its policy programme.
Top of the list will be the ongoing efforts to reinvigorate the county after the Covid pandemic and there is always the issue of money - never far away from the county council’s focus.
There were casualties along the way, with three cabinet members losing their seats; one to an independent; two to the Green party.
For Labour, there were wins and losses but the party failed to make significant inroads into the Conservative majority in the way it needed to.
Never mind the red wall seats in the north that Labour needs to reconnect with; it is the Kent constituencies that Blair secured for Labour in three successive terms that party chiefs need to focus on. The charge that the new leader Keir Starmer is clear enough on what he is against, but many do not know what he is for.
The one party that produced a surprise was the Green party, with a well-targeted campaign that pulled off a series of coups.
The Liberal Democrats had a mixed day and look like ending up pretty much where they started.
Which is not always the case so far as elections go.
Watch the Paul on Politics show
Click below for the local results once they are in:
