Iran Press/ Europe: The Conservatives have continued to sweep aside Labour in its traditional north-eastern English heartland.
The party lost control of Durham County Council, which it has run since 1925, losing 15 seats as the Tories took 14.
According to the BBC report, this follows the Conservatives winning the Hartlepool parliamentary by-election and receiving 73% of the vote in the Tees Valley mayoral election.
But, elsewhere, Labour has kept hold of its mayoralties in London and Greater Manchester.
Most of the results of Thursday's local elections in England are now in.
So far the Conservatives have gained control of 12 councils and the Labour has lost control of seven.
There was better news for Labour when Sadiq Khan was re-elected as London mayor, with the result coming late on Saturday, although his margin of victory over Conservative rival Sean Bailey was not as big as opinion polls had predicted.
The party also beat the Tories to win the West of England mayor election, and Labour's Andy Burnham was re-elected mayor of Greater Manchester in a landslide victory.
But Labour failed in its attempt to oust Conservative Andy Street as mayor of the West Midlands.
The elections are the biggest test of public opinion since the 2019 general election and the first electoral test for Sir Keir Starmer since he became Labour leader last year.
214
Read More:
British PM Johnson faces more questions over personal spending
