It was all change at County Hall yesterday as the results were declared for the Cornwall Council elections with the Conservatives securing an overall majority of the seats.

The Tories will take charge of the council for the next four years – ousting the Liberal Democrat and Independent coalition which has run County Hall for the last four years.

With the council having been slimmed down for this election – reduced from 123 seats to 87 – the Conservatives needed 44 to take control but in the event secured 47 seats overall.

Independent councillors will be the second largest group on the new council with 15 seats and the Liberal Democrats limped home in third with 14.

There were gains for Mebyon Kernow and Labour which will each have five councillors for the new term and the Green Party will have one councillor in the Council Chamber.

The councillors for East Cornwall are:

Altarnun & Stoke Climsland – Adrian Parsons (LD)

Callington and St Dominic — Andrew Long (MK)

Calstock — Dorothy Kirk (Lab)