Find out who has been voted in to Maidstone Borough Council with our election graphic showing the results as they come in.

Maidstone Council is currently run by a minority Liberal Democrat administration.

For all the results and reaction from across Kent follow our live blog and follow live updates from the Maidstone count below.

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6.01am

Turnout for these local elections is forecast to be low, with many voters disillusioned with the handling of Brexit. Here is a list of potential places where there may be an upset in Kent.

There is a little time to wait for results today, with counting not expected to get under way until about 10am.

2pm

Maidstone is still a hung council. All the results are in. The Conservatives picked up one seat in North Ward from the Lib Dems but lost one seat in Fant to Labour. That was the only change.

So the Tories end up with 24 seats, the Lib Dems are on 20, Labour 4, Independents 5 and Independent Maidstone 2.

Across the borough 29,603 people cast a vote - a turnout of 32%. which was slightly up on last year's figure of 31.75%.

Pundits predicting a Tory wipe-out because of Brexit, or a disastrously low turnout were wrong.

In the end the Conservatives won one seat in North Ward with Robert Eves elected - thanks mainly to Rob Field, the sitting Liberal Democrat councillor failing to submit his paperwork in time, so there was no Lib Dem in the battle.

However they lost one seat in Fant, where their previous councillor, Matt Boughton, did not stand again (instead successfully seeking election to Tonbridge and Malling council.) He was replaced by Labour's Margaret Rose, who joins Keith Adkinson and Paul Harper, the other two members in the three-member ward who are also both Labour.

Mrs Rose, who is retired, lives just outside the ward in Tufton Street. She said she hoped to use her position to help and support those who found themselves disadvantaged.

The Green Party break-through that occurred in many parts of the country did not happen in Maidstone.

Mike Summersgill achieved their best result in Marden and Yalding Ward, coming second to the incumbent Conservative Annabelle Blackmore, with 518 votes, but again this was a seat where the Lib Dems failed to field a candidate.

Derek Eagle also came second for the Greens in Sutton Valence and Langley Ward, beating the Lib Dem candidate by just five votes. Conservative Wendy Young took the seat with a clear majority.

Any break-through by Ukip also failed to materialise.

However the two sitting Independent candidates, Tom Sams and Gordon Newton, were comfortably re-elected. Cllr Newton appeared on the ballot papers as just "Independent" but it is understood he will continue to be part of the Independent Maidstone grouping on the council, along with former Ukiper Eddie Powell. Cllr Newton was not allowed to put "Independent Maidstone" on the ballot paper because it is not a registered political party.

However, there will be some new faces when the new council meets for the first time to elect their new leader at 9.30am in the Town Hall on Saturday, May 18.

Besides Cllr Rose, Lib Dem Dinesh Khadka and Conservatives Anne Brindle, Robert Eves and Wendy Young will all be taking their seats for the first time.

Around 110 tellers worked on the count at the Exhibition Hall at the County Showground. Starting at 10am and with no recounts required, all the borough council results were declared before 2pm.

However, counting for Staplehurst Parish Council proved trickier, with 18 candidates on the list. It was a further hour before returning officer Alison Broom could declare the names of the 15 candidates who were elected.

Turnout in the borough wards ranged from a high of 37.91% in Harrietsham and Lenham Ward where Independent Tom Sams was returned, to a low of 24.31% in High Street Ward where Dinesh Khadka was elected for the Lib Dems.

Val Springett (Con) in Bearsted received the highest vote of any candidates with 1,468 and she also had the largest majority at 1, 091. Of those elected, Susan Grigg (Lib Dem) was returned on the lowest figure of 390 votes, but Robert Eves (Con) had the lowest majority at 90.

Cllr Malcolm McKay, the Labour group leader, said: "There's not many boroughs where Labour has increased its vote. We have an extra councillor - we've gone from three to four. In percentage terms that's obviously quite significant!"

Cllr John Perry, leader of the Conservative Group, announced himself pleased with the results. He said: "In the circumstances to stay the same was a good result. We have bucked the national trend and drawn a line in Maidstone."

Although he heads the largest party grouping, he will need the support of Independents or Labour councillors if he is to stop Lib Dem Cllr Martin Cox being re-elected as Council Leader.

He said: "It's possible, we'll be asking for support - we'll have to wait and see."

Cllr Martin Cox, leader of the Lib Dem group, said: "Obviously we went into the count on Friday morning after hearing some brilliant over night results for our party nationally.

"We were pleased with the way we ran our election in Maidstone. It's unfortunate that we weren't able to stand in North Ward, but our results elsewhere were all improved, especially in Boxley where we doubled our showing

"We very pleased that Dinesh (Khadka) was elected in High Street, replacing Fran Wilson who had been such a brilliant councillor."

"Obviously we were helped by the national situation."

Cllr Cox was optimistic of his chances of staying the leader of the council. He said: "I've been speaking to the other parties and there's seems to be agreement that the important thing is to get on and get the job done for Maidstone."

Parish Council results:

There was also an election for Yalding Parish Council with nine councillors being elected from 10 candidates. The following were elected: Geraldine Brown, Jason Bryant, June Chapman, Sue Gerrish, Ken Gough, David Law, Patricia Robbins, Andy Saunders and Dee Stead.

In the parish election for Staplehurst, 15 councillors were elected from 18 candidates. They were Colin Bowden, Joan Buller, Mick Chapman, Sue Forward, Sam Lain-Rose, Karen Langmaid, Helen Miller, John Perry, Zara Rawlinson, Paddy Riordan, Adele Sharp, Peter Spearink, Elaine Symes, Natasha Thomas and Caz Walsh.