A small number of gains and losses left St Albans council with no overall control once again but with the Conservatives remaining the largest party.

The status quo remained after Labour gained two seats, the Lib Dems lost two and the Conservatives stayed the same.

The UKIP vote varied from ward to ward but their candidate John Stocker came second in Sandridge. They performed strongly in Cunningham, London Colney, Park Street and St Stephen wards but failed to win any seats.

The Green Party came close in St Peter’s ward where Conservative Alun Davies narrowly beat the sitting Lib Dem councillor Michael Green.

Labour won back Sopwell from the Lib Dems and London Colney from the Tories.

Current Mayor Annie Brewster comfortably kept her seat in Wheathampstead while Roma Mills retained Batchwood for Labour, Anthony Rowlands held on to his Ashley seat for the Lib Dems and Conservative group leader, Julian Daly, kept his Harpenden West seat with a large majority.

The new council has 29 Conservatives, 17 Lib Dems, 10 Labour, one Green and one Independent.

After the count, Cllr Daly described the result as “as good as I could have hoped for” in light of what was forecast in the national press.

He added that only in a couple of wards had UKIP had any real influence on the outcome.