Cotswold Lib Dems build on their 2019 local election success
The biggest gain of the night saw the Liberal Democrats displace Tory leader, Tony Berry, from his Kemble seat.
After securing control of the Cotswold District in the 2019 local elections, the Liberal Democrats have bolstered their stronghold over the local council by gaining a further four seats and the Conservatives losing five.
The big upset of the night was the Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Tony Berry, losing his Kemble seat. After the announcement he told us it was a tough one to take, "Mainly because I had plans, I had great plans for the Cotswolds which now won't happen.
"That's a shame, that's why I did it in the first place, to make a difference.
"With the Green agenda there's so much we can do.
"One of the things missing out of the Lib Dems' climate agenda, as far as I was concerned, was farming and water.
"There's all this fuss about floods and rubbish (sewage) in water ... we need to do something about it."
Discussing why the Conservatives were unbale to regain the seats they lost in the 2019 election, Tony Berry blamed the "bickering" within the party, "The Lib Dems don't have a manifesto, they're saying the government is rubbish.
"We had a very specific local issues, local solutions manifesto.
"People said they're not interested in that, even though it's a local election."
Before leaving the Cirencester Leisure Centre, where the count was taking place, Tony Berry confirmed he won't be fighting for re-election at the next election.
Liberal Democrats claim "best ever result"
Responding to criticism of their campaign, Liberal Democrat and Leader of the Council, Councillor Joe Harris, says, "We campaigned on both, we campaigned on our strong local record and what we're going to offer local people, whether that's climate change, houses or jobs.
"But clearly you can't discount the huge national issues ... a lot of people are very frustrated with the government and the Conservatives."
Councillor Harris now wants to get on with the task of tackling the housing and calimate emergencies.
Final Results
Liberal Democrats - 22 seats won (+4), 46% of votes
Conservative - 9 seats won (-5), 44% of votes
Green Party - 2 seats won (+1) 5% of votes
Independent - 1 seat won, 3% of votes
Labour - 0 seats won, less than 1% of votes
Heritage Party - 0 seats won, less than 1% of votes
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - 0 seats won, less than 1% of votes
A full ward by ward breakdown is available on the Cotswolds District Council website.