Five takeaways from the elections in Suffolk

It is all change for Suffolk's political landscape.

Reform UK is now the party in charge at Suffolk County Council after winning 41 of 70 seats. The Conservatives had run the authority for 20 years.

The Greens also made gains and will find themselves back as the main opposition.

Here are the key takeaways from a historic day.

Reform UK had six seats on Suffolk County Council before the election, four of which were from defections.

This fact was often brought up by Conservative councillors in the chamber at Endeavour House. Not anymore.

Suffolk voters clearly backed Reform, giving the party 41 seats.

Reform group leader Chris Hudson, previously a Tory, said it was an "optimistic day" for his party.

Asked if he thought he might be the next leader of the county council, he said: "I am optimistic about that as well because we need experience."

June Mummery won her Reform UK seat in Carlton Colville in a by-election in December, and held on to it on Thursday

She said she was passionate about the area, and the party would "do what's right" for people.

The Conservative had 44 seats on Suffolk County Council going into this election. They now have nine.

Matthew Hicks, who had been leader since 2018, retained his Thredling seat but saw his majority reduced from 1,482 to just 247 - eaten into by the Greens and Reform.

He said he was delighted to have been re-elected but was "sad for many of my colleagues" who had lost out.

"I think the biggest thing during the campaign was there were a lot of national politics coming in rather than local politics," he added.

"Too often we came back to national politics and that's always hard in local elections."

Election counts are full of emotions, and Suffolk County Council's was no different, with hugs of relief, success and consolation.

How much of an effect did Nigel Farage's controversial visit to Ipswich Town Football Club have on the elections in Ipswich?

He was pictured holding a club shirt with his surname and the number 10 on it, angering some fans.

The football club tried to deny the politician had been officially invited and was later forced to issue a statement saying it was apolitical.

Ipswich Borough Council had an election for 16 (a third) of its seats, of which 13 had been Labour, two Conservative and one Liberal Democrat.

Reform UK took 10 of the seats on Thursday and the Greens took one. This is the first time either party has been represented in the borough.

Labour held on to four of their seats and the Liberal Democrats kept their one seat.

Green candidate Dylan Roques, 20, won the Bury St Edmunds ward of Abbeygate & Minden in the Suffolk County Council election.

He described the result as amazing.

"It felt like it was such a divisive campaign, one of the most divisive campaigns I've been involved in," he said.

Not as successful as Dylan but younger than him was 18-year-old Liberal Democrat candidate Hettie Glenton.

She stood in the Hartismere division in the Suffolk County Council elections while revising for her A-levels.

She said: "I've always been politically motivated ever since I went to my new sixth form.

"I grew up around the Liberal Democrats because of my dad and I had the opportunity to stand as soon as I turned 18.

"I thought it would be a really interesting thing to do."

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