Labour retains control of key English councils but loses in Scotland

Conservatives down by a similar amount

The Labour Party has retained control of key councils in England but had a bad night in the Scottish Parliament elections, where the SNP won an historic third term.

Labour's vote share was down about 6% on average on 2012 - the last time the seats in England were contested - but its share was up 4% on the general election in key wards, with the Conservatives down by a similar amount, according to analysis from the BBC. The broadcaster suggested Labour may have been helped to retain control of councils in areas such as Crawley, Southampton, Norwich and Hastings, where its vote was looking vulnerable, by a Tory loss in Southern England. Further results are to come later on Friday as counting gets under way in 40 remaining English local council poll...