Cornwall local election results 2017 are in and here are the highlights

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The count has now finished for Cornwall in the 2017 local elections and the Conservatives have made significant gains, winning most seats but failing to take overall control.

It has been a good day for the Tories as the party became the largest group on Cornwall Council, with 46 seats. They took seats from all of their rivals, ending with 35% of the overall vote.

The Liberal Democrats are now the second largest party, with 37 seats, with the Independents in third place with 30.

Cornwall Live has been running a live blog from the two election counts in Carn Brea and Wadebridge throughout the day where you can see the full results and reaction as it happened.

Lib Dem PPC Stephen Gilbert applauds a winning party member at the Wadebridge count.

In 2013, the Independents had won 37 seats, the Lib Dems 36, and the Tories 31.

Labour ended this election with five seats - a drop from the eight divisions they won in 2013.

The biggest losers were UKIP though, who won six seats at the election four years ago having taken 15% of the popular vote. This time around, the Eurosceptic party took just 1% of the vote, and came away with no seats at all on the authority.

Mebyon Kernow retained all four seats they held going into the election.

Nationally, it has been a great 24 hours for the Conservatives. Where the party in Government normally suffers at local elections, the Tories have in fact made huge gains, mainly at the expense of Labour and UKIP.

The projected national vote sees the Conservatives on 38%, Labour on 27% and the Lib Dems on 18%.

One of the biggest stories of the election seems to be the collapse of UKIP, which has come nationally and not just in Cornwall.

The party's vote has fallen from 22% to less than 5%, seeing it lose 139 out of 140 seats it was defending.

Highlights from the day include Cornwall's youngest councillor, Jordan Rowse winning a seat as the Par and St Blazey Gate - at just 20 years old.

Young Conservative winner Jordan Rowse.

The Conservatives took Par and St Blazey from the Liberal Democrats, with 512 votes.

Mebyon Kernow chief Dick Cole has a comfortable hold for St Enoder ward, getting seven times as many votes as his nearest rival.

He polled 1,090 votes, well ahead of the Conservatives' Rachel Andrews, who had 143 votes.

Karen McHugh, Liberal Democrat, who took the seat for Wadebridge West said: "The residents of Wadebridge really have got behind me. Thank you to the Lib Dem family and in particular the Rogersons."

Olly Monk, Conservative for Newquay Treloggan said: "Mr Monk: "I'm very humbled to have been given the trust by the people of Treloggan. I'd also like the thank my two.. three! children who have been out campaigning with me."

Jacquie Gammon took the Liberal Democrat seat for Bodmin St Mary's with 507 votes.

She said: "North Cornwall you rock. Thank you for putting the faith in me to take over from Ann Kerridge. And to the man who persuaded me to run - Mr Rog."

Commenting on today's results of the local elections for Cornwall Council, Stephen Gilbert, the Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for St Austell & Newquay, has said: "At first glance people may well look at today's result and see the Conservatives making significant gains across mid-Cornwall but that masks a more subtle and much more important story.

"In many areas the Conservatives only won because those that were opposed to them were divided and the anti-Tory vote was split.

"Cornwall's choice for the general election in just a few weeks time is clear, either vote Conservative or vote for the only party that can stop them, the Liberal Democrats.

"My message to people who support Labour, Mebyon Kernow and the Greens is simple: if you don't want to have a Tory MP then please lend me your vote so that I can stop them winning here.

"It's clear that those of us in Cornwall that share progressive values need to unite in this election if we are to change the direction of our country.

"When the liberal and social left is divided it is only the Tories that prosper and over the next five weeks we must show them that what we have in common is stronger than that which divides us and we must work together to stop the Conservatives taking Cornwall for granted for the next five years."

Tim Dwelly, Labour party leader for Cornwall said: "We are delighted that despite assumptions Labour would slump in Cornwall, we held four seats and gained a new one.

"Locally some of Labour results were among the best in the UK. In Penzance there was a huge swing from Lib Dem to Labour. In Penzance East the swing was 17% with the Lib Dems scoring less than half Labour's vote."

The Conservative party have decisions to make over the weekend over whether to do a deal with any other group. They needed 62 seats to form an overall majority. We're awaiting a comment from them.

To see the events as they unfolded and a full list of elected councillors, check out our live blog.