Counting got underway quickly in Wrexham

The party won just one seat on the local authority when David Bithell took the Johnstown ward by 492 votes to 444 from Labour.

However, it could have been very different - Wrexham Labour leader Shan Wilkinson just hung on to her Bryn Cefn seat by 14 votes after a challenge from Forward Wales.

The council has no overall ruling party in control and talks will now begin to try and form a coalition.

Previously the ruling group was made up of Labour and the Radicals - including Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors.

John Marek, founder of Forward Wales, was at the count

Thursday's vote returned three conservatives, 17 Independents, 19 Labour councillors, 10 from the Liberal Democrat Party, two non-aligned and one Forward Wales councillor.

David Bithell said he was "honoured" to be the first Forward Wales councillor elected in Wrexham.

He said: "We've pushed Labour very, very hard and we're not disappointed not to have made further breakthroughs - if you look at the Minera ward, the result was very close and we lost by just six votes."

Dr Marek, who is still the Forward Wales AM for Wrexham, left Labour after he failed to be selected by the party at last year's assembly election.

He said he was "disappointed" not to have won more seats on the council.

Turnout

Shan Wilkinson, visibly moved, said she "absolutely knew it was very close" after she retained her seat in the council.

"I knew that there would be a significant vote against me," she said.

"I knew from the start it was going to be a difficult contest but I'm sorry that we'll be saying goodbye to some very good councillors."

Labour have held onto Flintshire - with 37 of the 70 seats.

Under the new results Plaid Cymru have one seat, Liberal Democrats 10, Independent Party 18 and The Conservative Party four.

However, an early result saw outspoken Green councillor Klaus Armstrong-Braun lose his Saltney Stonebridge seat to the Labour candidate Terence Walker.

Counting of the votes cast in Denbighshire got underway just after 1230 BST on Friday.

Forty five per cent of the population turned out to register their vote on Thursday.

The turnout was higher than the turnout recorded at last year's Welsh Assembly elections.