Harlow District Council

At the start of the night Harlow Council was the only Labour-controlled authority in Essex and the party has maintained control there.

Four of the seven wards declared so far have been won by Labour, with the Conservatives taking three.

There are a further four seats to be declared.

The Conservative candidate elected onto Harlow Council by just a single vote has said the experience was one of the most stressful nights of his life.

Michael Hardware, and his rivals, had to endure four separate recounts for the Staple Tye seat.

The Conservatives have won the Staple Tye ward in Harlow by a single vote, taking it from UKIP.

The ward was the subject of multiple recounts.

The result? The Conservatives got 574 votes to Labour's 573.

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We're hearing reports of a third recount in one ward in Harlow, Essex. "There's only one vote in it," reports our woman on the scene.

Labour have held on to Harlow District Council. Ten wards have declared with one to go, but statistically Labour can't be overtaken.

Labour has taken two seats from UKIP and held four.

The Conservatives have taken one seat from UKIP and have held on three.

Polling has begun for elections for some district and unitary councils in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

Across the country, 150 local authorities are electing new councillors, and there are six mayoral contests.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Councils holding elections here are:

• Cambridgeshire: Cambridge City and Peterborough City
• Essex: Colchester Borough, Basildon District, Harlow, Brentwood Borough, Castle Point Borough, Rochford District and Southend Borough
• Norfolk: Great Yarmouth Borough and Norwich City
• Suffolk: Ipswich Borough

In most places, a third of seats are being contested.

Polling stations close at 22:00 and BBC East will be providing live online coverage afterwards.