Essex local elections 2024: Harlow announces local election results after 'knife edge' battle

The Conservatives came out on top in a "knife edge" election battle in Harlow, narrowly beating Labour to control of the council. Labour made progress in the Essex town but fell short of an overall majority.

Labour leader Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner toured Harlow the day before the polls opened in a symbolic visit to a part of the county that will be a key General Election battleground. All the seats were up for election and Labour gained four, but fell short of overall control by the narrowest of margins.

Counting is underway in the 107 councils in England that held elections on Thursday (May 2). You can find out the complete breakdown of the election results, including ward-by-ward results, using our local elections 2024 widget below.

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The Conservatives remain in control of Harlow Council after winning 17 seats, one more than Labour who ended the night on 16. Outgoing Harlow MP Robert Halfon said the Tories' victory in Harlow was the "biggest comeback since Lazarus".

Mr Halfon, who announced he would be standing down in March, said he was proud of his local councillors and leader Dan Swords. Labour MP Pat McFadden, speaking to LBC, said the result was "on a knife edge".

Harlow is one of two election battlegrounds in Essex for Labour. The party also targets Thurrock, which has been run by the Tories for the past few years during a period of turbulence that saw the council declared effectively bankrupt in December 2022. Labour ended up making a net gain of eight seats, enough for a clear majority, with Independents picking up two and the Tories suffering a net loss of 10.