So Labour’s quarter of a century dominating Leeds is over. Labour took 40 seats, LibDems 26, Conservatives 24, Morley Borough Independents 6, and Greens 3. No one party has a majority, but the LibDems could feasibly run in coalition with the Conservatives and the Greens (and Labour, if they’d be prepared to swallow their pride). In Wetherby, I got 1,026 votes – I’m pleased to say it’s a personal best in any election, and represented a 1.1% swing from the Tories to the LibDems.

The first past the post electoral system for once worked in the LibDems’ favour. It hindered the Tories but still let Labour get 40% of the seats on much less of the vote. I still believe strongly in following the example of Scotland and introducing STV for local council elections.

There were some curious other results, particularly in the way tickets were split and voters mixed and matched the parties for which they voted. While I can’t pretend to know every voters’ reasons, it’s possible to spot trends. In one ward, for example, where one Tory candidate polled noticeably less than his colleagues, it is, sadly, safe to assume that his Arabic-sounding name put off a few hundred voters.

In Headingley, a former Labour seat (albeit after boundary changes), Labour fell below the Greens. The LibDems made more progress in Kirkstall, but Labour, running scared and making an effort for once, managed to hold on. My friend Kath, the only local council candidate in Leeds standing for “Respect – The Unity Coalition (George Galloway)”, succeeded in pushing the Tories into fourth in her ward.

Congratulations to everyone who was elected last week. Particular mentions go to Penny Ewens, who stormed home in Hyde Park and Woodhouse, and No geek is an island reader David Morton who topped the poll in Headingley.

Full results by ward are on the Leeds City Council website.

I’ve been back in Leeds a few days but I’m still exhausted – hence the lack of posting. Had a great time in the London. Worked for two days solid on the elections, then acted as a counting agent at the Bexley & Bromley GLA count. It was interesting seeing the automated counting machines in operation. They work incredibly fast, and have the benefit over full electronic voting that there is always the possiblity of a manual count if things go wrong or a result is disputed. A good result for the LibDems: Duncan Borrowman moved up from third to second, while Labour dropped to forth. Plus, we contributed a significant chunk of votes to Simon Hughes’s mayoral total. Overall, we managed to pick up an extra GLA seat, which both the Tory and Labour GLA groups lost their leaders.

While at the count in London, I got word that Labour had lost control of Leeds. I didn’t get to see the figures until Sunday – more on them to follow.

Friday night was Liberty Night, a top notch party to celebrate the end of the elections. I met Charles Kennedy for the first time, he having returned from a flying visit to our new headline gain of Newcastle. He was in fine form and made a very positive speech. I also had the chance to commiserate Simon, who seemed in fine form despite having worked incredibly long days in the run up to the election.

Spent most of Saturday recovering, then popped over to Ealing for a very nice barbecue before going out in London. Then on Sunday back to Leeds and almost straight out again for the European Parliament election count for Yorkshire & the Humber – carried out by hand, the old-fashioned way. As the Leeds ballot papers were counted, results trickled in from across the region, flashed up on big screens. The candidates, agents and assorted psephs dashed forward to see who had won where, and to try to predict the overall result. We correctly worked out that it would be two Conservative, two Labour, one LibDem, one swivel-eyed loon. Diana Wallis was re-elected, moving from fifth place out of seven to third of sixth – a good result for us. The English Democrats candidate, in his speech, derided the proposed regional assemblies as “another layer of bureaucracy” – an interesting argument from a party who’s principal policy is an English Parliament.

The best news of the night was the election of Fiona Hall in the North East and (as I discovered on Monday morning) the election of Saj Karim in the North West, taking us to 12 MEPs. While UKIP squeezed into third place on the popular vote, third was mainly at the expensive of the Tories and Labour. Fingers crossed for UKIP standing in some Con/LD marginals at the next General Election.

I’m popping to London to help Simon Hughes, Sarah Ludford, Jonathan Fryer and Duncan Borrowman get elected. Back next week!

There are a few too many unnamed sources in it, but if even half of this article is true, it’s pretty terrifying.

I think I need a Kerry 2004 button to put in my sidebar.