CONSERVATIVES have clung to power in Braintree following local council elections after only just securing the majority needed to lead the authority.

Braintree Council will continue moving forward under a Tory regime after the party secured 26 seats following Thursday’s vote.

To secure a majority a party must take at least 25 seats.

The make-up of the authority, which has a total of 49 councillors across 26 wards, was decided after just 30 per cent of the electorate ventured out to the ballot boxes.

At the start of the evening the Conservatives held 32 seats, the Green Party six seats and the Halstead Residents' Association three seats.

Braintree Council also consisted of three Labour councillors while a further three spots were occupied by Independent representatives.

Two vacant seats – Witham Central and Halstead St Andrews – were also contested after Angela Kilmartin stepped down and following the death of David Hume.

Witham Central remained a Conservative seat while candidates from the Halstead Residents’ Association managed to hold on to Halstead St Andrew.

By the time voting had concluded, the Conservatives had lost six seats and the Green Party had lost two seats.

Labour, meanwhile, had gained six seats, and Independents had gained four.

The Halstead Residents’ Association remained the same with three seats.

Here is a full list of the results:

Bocking and Blackwater

Dormer Andrews (Green)

James Card (Lib Dem)

David Chidgey (Lab)

Jasmine Curtiz (Con)

Lynette Flint (Con)*

Richard Parsons (Lab)

Lyn Walters (Con)*

Justin Wrench (Con)*

Bocking North

Felicia Ayo-Ajala (Con)

David John Baugh (Con)*

Lynn Jefferis (Lab)*

Kieran Martin (Lab)

Andrea Phillips (Green)

Bocking South

Jack Edwards (Con)*

Karl Handy (Green)

Robert Health (Lab)

Trevor McArdle (Con)

Moia Thorogood (Lab)*

Braintree Central and Beckers Green

Simon Attwood (Green)

Jonathan Ayten (Lab)*

Karen Brown (Con)

Sandra Canning (Con)

Thomas Diamond (Lab)*

Andrew Hensman (Con)

Shirley Mason (Lab)*

Colin Riches (Ind)

Braintree South

Kevin Bowers (Con)*

Martin Green (Lab)*

Tom Hughes (Lib Dem)

Saif Rehamn (Con)

Jacqueline Thurgood (Lab)

Stuart Wicks (Green)

Braintree West

Mary Cunningham (Con)*

George Prime (Con)*

Nicolas Scales (Green)

Alexander Wildson (Lab)

Peter Wyatt (Lab)

Bumpstead

Diana Garrod (Con)*

Gary Knights (Lab)

Norma Saggers (Reform UK)

Coggeshall

Dennis Abram (Ind)*

Usha Agarwal-Hollands (Lab)

Robert Powers (Lab)

Chris Siddall (Con)

Tom Walsh (Ind)*

Sue Wilson (Con)

Gosfield and Greenstead Green

Jenny Bishop (Green)

Peter Schwier (Con)*

Deborah Warren (Lab)

Great Notley and Black Notley

David Beatty (Lab)

Graham Butland (Con)*

Tom Cunningham (Con)*

Poppy Gerrard-Abbott (Green)

Bronislaw Jagniaszek (Lab)

Antony Jones (Lab)

Frankie Ricci (Con)*

Graham Sheppard (Lib Dem)

Brian Smith (Lib Dem)

David Toombs (Lib Dem)

Halstead St Andrews

James John (Halstead Residents’ Association)*

David Finch (Con)

Steven Knight (Lab)

Andy Munday (Halstead Residents’ Association)*

Olatunbosun Senbanjo (Con)

Kathleen Tearle (Lab)

Judy Wood (UKIP)

Halstead Trinity

Barry Britten (Con)

Malcolm Fincken (Lab)*

Linda Hilton (Halstead Residents’ Association)

Jackie Pell (Halstead Residents’ Association)*

Libby Poole (Con)

Garry Warren (Lab)

Hatfield Peverel and Terling

Jonathan Barker (Green)

Tony Bennett (Lab)

Linda Bennison (Lab)

James Coleridge (Con)*

Joanne Charley Dervish (Con)*

Hedingham

Jo Beavis (Ind)*

Christine Calver (Lab)

Matthew Creamer (Lab)

Jason Ferrando (Con)

Philip Rawlinson (Con)

Wendy Taylor (Ind)*

Kelvedon and Feering

Pamela Carlaw (Lab)

Eileen Davidson (Lab)

Camilla Finch (Green)*

India Jayatillake (Con)

Robert Mitchell (Con)

Paul Thorogood (Green)*

Rayne

Nigel Gibson (Lab)

Ann Hooks (Ind)*

Glenn Young (Con)

Silver End and Cressing

James Abbott (Green)*

Jack Bayford (Con)

Steven Bennison (Lab)

Ann Griffin (Lab)

Darrin Hammond (Con)

Annetta Hawkins (Ind)

Andrew Page (Heritage Party)

Bob Wright (Green)*

Stour Valley North

Peter Long (Lab)

Iona Parker (Con)*

Mark Posen (Green)

Raymond Richards (Reform UK)

Stour Valley South

Frederick Hearn (Lab)

David Holland (Con)*

Paul Robinson (Green)

The Colnes

James Astley (Green)

George Courtald (Con)*

Sandra Hindley (Lab)

Felix Preston (Lab)

Gabrielle Spray (Con)*

Three Fields

Mark Ault (Ind)*

Stephen Canning (Con)

William Edwards (Lab)

Stephen Newton (Lab)

Michael Staines (Ind)*

John Warner (Con)

Witham Central

Lucy Barlow (Lab)

Joan Coleman (Lab)

Barry Fleet (Lib Dem)

Edwyn Gerrard-Abbott (Green)

Sindhu Rajeev (Con)*

Richard Thompson (Reform UK)

Helen Waring (Lib Dem)

Toby Edwards (Con)*

Witham North

Philip Barlow (Lab)

Tim Blaxill (Reform UK)

Leanora Headley (Lab)

Stephen Hicks (Green)

Philip Hughes (Green) -

Billy Taylor (Con)*

Ethan Williams (Con)*

Witham South

Stephanie Bills (Green)

Paul Heath (Lab)*

Paul Hewitt (Lib Dem)

William Korsinah (Con)

Jacqueline Martin (Lab)*

Charlie Ryland (Lib Dem)

Joe Trigg (Con)

Witham West

Susan Ager (Green)

Jack Coleman (Lab)

Steven Crane (Green)

Jon Hayes (Con)*

Andrew Holt (Lib Dem)

Ron Ramage (Con)*

Jack Robertson (Lab)

Yeldham

Julia Allen (Ind)

Denis Franklin (Lab)

Richard Van Dulken (Con)*