It's all back in the balance

The Tories and Labour were neck-and-neck, with 36 seats each - down from 38 each at the last election. Election results in full

The Liberal Democrats were again left holding the balance of power with two new seats, making a total of 14.

The stalemate remains firmly entrenched, with no one party having overall control of the Council for the third poll in a row. Prior to that Labour had held control for a decade.

But there was some light in the gloom, with Bradford refusing to turn to extremist politics, as the BNP failed to win a single seat in the poll. But they came a close second in Queensbury.

Bradford Council leader Margaret Eaton said the people of the district had turned their backs on the BNP.

"With half a million people in Bradford you have to put the small vote for the BNP into perspective," she said. "If they thought they were going to make inroads into Bradford, people have proved them wrong.

"People recognise that Bradford is a very special district and realise the BNP has no answers or solutions to any problems."

And John Godward, Labour councillor for Great Horton, after trouncing the BNP, said: "Celebrate, democracy has triumphed tonight and may it always do so in Great Horton ward."

Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Jeanette Sunderland said her group will meet on Saturday to decide their role on the hung Council.

The turnout ranged from a dismal 19.99 per cent in Tong to 44.48 per cent in Bradford Moor - where investigations are underway into allegations over postal votes.

The final declaration of the count, announced earlier today, saw Labour group leader Ian Greenwood retain his Little Horton seat - but only after a recount and controversy over a broken seal on a ballot box.

Defeated Tory candidate Khadam Hussain said he would be seeking legal advice over the result and the fact the seal had been broken in transit and resealed in front of independent witnesses.

"I do not accept this result, I think it has been tampered with. I will be consulting with my lawyer and my campaign team. The registration of the new and old seal didn't match. This happened last year and we are not accepting it."

Councillor Ian Greenwood, (Lab), who held the Little Horton seat, said: "I intend to serve, as I have over the past eight years, all the people of Little Horton."

Last year, Tory candidate Jamshad Khan also challenged the Little Horton result - and was granted leave for a recount which he eventually lost.

The first result of the night was at Baildon where Liberal Democrat John Cole comfortably held his seat.

At Shipley West the Green party celebrated a hat-trick -snatching their third seat in the ward.

Green leader David Ford said the party was on the up.

"I am delighted with all our results across the district."

At the Abundant Life Centre, the first announcement saw David Gray hold Bolton ward for the Liberal Democrats with a comfortable 1,209 vote majority.

British National Party candidate Arthur Bentley came second polling 757 votes beating Labour into third place with the Tories trailing last.

Councillor Gray said his party was always confident of holding the seat but criticised the lack of effort put in by the Labour and Tory parties in the ward in the run-up to the election.

"This just creates a vacuum for parties like the BNP to come in and fill the gap," he said.

Liberal-Democrats won a surprise seat in Bowling from a Labour stronghold and took Bradford Moor from the Conservatives. Rupert Oliver swept home in Bowling polling 2,077 votes, pushing a shocked Labour into second and the Tories into third.

He said the result proved his party was now starting to make an impression in inner city wards.

Mohammed Shofiquel Islam, a 26-year-old self-employed driving instructor, said his victory in Bradford Moor signalled that voters were fed-up with the Government.

"Asian people have been traditional Labour voters for 50 years but since this Government has got into power they feel they have been deprived. It's time for a change and the Liberal Democrats is the new party for them," he said.

Councillor Ann Ozolins, who held her seat in Idle for the Liberal Democrats, said: "This is a night we have been waiting for for a long time. Liberal Democrat councillors have got their reward for all the hard work that we have put in and we are particularly pleased with our results in Bolton and Bradford Moor but saddened that such a fascist party as the BNP has made any progress at all."

Fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Mike Attenborough held his seat in Eccleshill with a comfortable majority from Labour, with the BNP out-polling the Conservatives and the Greens.

But the Tories gained a seat in Undercliffe with mortgage broker Mohammed Jamil recording a 234 majority over Labour which had held the seat.

Andrew Smith, who narrowly fought off the BNP in Queensbury, said: "I am delighted, although a bit stunned with the closeness of it.

"The main thing the community of Queensbury wanted was more police, more youth provision, road safety measures and they have got all three and many other things."

Meanwhile, the Green party reigns in Shipley West.

There were whoops of joy and a huge applause at Beckfoot School in Bingley as Rob Nichols was announced as the new Green councillor for the ward late last night - giving the party their third seat in the ward and on Bradford Council.

A jubilant Councillor Nichols said he was "extremely delighted" with the huge majority of 1,127 with a massive 2,423 votes - 50 per cent of the ward's total votes.

But as this was the last ward in the Shipley constituency to be counted at 11.30pm at Beckfoot School and he missed his chance to give a speech to the crowds of ecstatic supporters.

"I was going to read a Gaelic poem but as most people have gone home I decided not to," he said.

"The people in Shipley West have realised that it's the Green party councillors who are the ones who work the hardest for them.

"This is a good sign for the future and we hope to gain more seats across Bradford.

"I'm looking forward to speaking with people in Shipley West and getting to work with my fellow Green councillors on the issues that matter most to people."

The hall was packed out as supporters, councillors and residents awaited the first results to be revealed after the polls closed at 9pm.

The first victory went to Conservative Councillor Robin Owens who held on to his Bingley seat.

"I would like to recognise the efforts of all the party workers who've slaved away and I would like to thank all the candidates in the Shipley constituency for making it a very calm and very fair fight," he said.

For Baildon there was applause throughout the room from people wearing red, yellow and blue rosettes when BNP candidate David Neil Ronald Hobson was revealed to have only 842 votes trailing behind the Conservatives in second place and the Liberal Democrats, whose candidate Councillor John Cole held the seat for a sixth year with 2,365 votes.

"I am delighted the majority of voters in Baildon can still spot decent politics when it shows," he said.

"All four out of five parties have worked hard - but the less said about one other party the better."

The Tories also firmly held Bingley Rural as Councillor Simon Cooke reaped a massive 2,149 votes and a resounding round of applause.

"A lot of people have been excluded and sadly chosen to vote for Nazis rather than real parties," he said to the crowds.

"I will do all I can to make sure the interests of ordinary people are respected and show that in ordinary parties can work together to make people's lives better and that's my promise."

And Labour Councillor Mark Blackburn, who was not at the count, also held Shipley East with 1,172 votes.

Background feature on the BNP results