Following a long night for council officials and eager candidates alike, the results are in for this year's Dartford Borough Council elections as local Tories manage to keep majority control after receiving more than 50 per cent of the votes.

Local Conservatives will now take 29 seats with Dartford Labour making a steady gain compared to the previous election with 10 candidates now elected for the new term.

The Swanscombe and Greenhithe Residents' Association have retained  their council position with three candidates making the cut. 

More than 10 per cent of voters opted for UKIP, but with no candidates receiving enough support to take a seat.

Certain wards saw a shake-up in voting patterns with Newtown Labour candidates Laura Edie and Adrian Oakley-Dow securing seats for their area which was previously represented by the Conservatives.

The SGRA lost their majority in Swanscombe as Labour candidate Emma Ben-Moussa managed to secure enough votes to take her seat in the new term. 

However this lost ground was made-up with new SGRA candidates Peter Harman and Sue Butterfill taking seats in the Greenhithe & Knockhall ward, along with Dartford Conservative and current mayor David Mote. 

Conservative council leader Jeremy Kite will retain his seat after receiving the majority vote for the Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet ward. 

Shadow leader for Dartford Labour Jonathan Hawkes lost out on his seat in Stone House after fellow Labour candidate Kelly Grehan and the Conservative's Tom Oliver pipped him at the post. 

However in an emotional statement posted on Facebook, Mr Hawkes, who acted as group leader for the past four years, offered congratulations to his colleague and described his time as a councillor as an "amazing privilege".

Dartford Town, West Hill and Wilmington wards all saw Conservative candidates reign victorious as they took the majority of votes. 

The full list of newly elected councillors can be found here.