The 2023 local election results are in at the Waverley Borough Council count hall – with the Lib Dems increasing their grip on the borough council and the Tories suffering heavy losses.

The Lib Dems improved from 14 seats at the last borough poll in 2019 to 22, albeit after widespread changes to ward boundaries in Waverley, while Farnham Residents won 13 seats. This is on a par with the resident group's performance in 2019.

The Conservatives, however, saw their share of the seats drop from 23 in 2019 to just ten – with opposition leader Stephen Mulliner the highest-profile casualty on a crushing day for the Conservatives nationally too.

Two independents retained their seats, as did the Labour Party, while the Green Party held on to one seat.

Waverley Borough Council seats won by each party:

With 50 seats up for grabs, the magic number for any party to win an outright majority at Waverley Borough Council was 25 seats.

But with no party able to reach that figure, a continuation of the council's ruling Lib Dem/Farnham Residents/Green/Labour coalition is almost certain.

Scroll down for a full list of Waverley Borough Council election results.

The election in summary

The Farnham Residents retained all the gains they made at the last full borough poll in 2019, winning 13 of the available 16 borough council seats in the Farnham area, while the Lib Dems continue to make gains elsewhere in Waverley – with Elstead and Peper Harow one of the seats to fall to the Liberal Democrats.

But reflecting the national picture, it was another devastating election locally for the Conservatives, which won 53 seats on the then-57 seat council as recently as 2015 but has seen its voter base collapse in recent elections.

Leader of Waverley's Conservative opposition group, Stephen Mulliner, was the biggest casualty – losing his seat in Haslemere East after 24 years representing the area.

However, long-serving Conservative councillor and opposition deputy leader Carole Cockburn retained her seat in The Bourne – inflicting on Farnham Residents their one and only defeat – while another long-time Tory campaigner Peter Martin held on to his seat in Godalming Holloway.

The Lib Dems also took seats in Farnham Moor Park and Farnham Weybourne, where Farnham Residents only stood one candidate in the two-seat wards.

Dave Busby, who won a by-election to represent Chiddingfold and Dunsfold at the borough council just five months ago, was returned as the Lib Dem councillor for the re-drawn Chiddingfold ward in the first Waverley declaration shortly before 3pm.

The Lib Dems also bagged five of Haslemere's six available borough seats – the other going to the Conservatives – while the Lib Dems also won both of Hindhead and Beacon Hill's seats.

Lib Dem borough council leader Paul Follows retained his seat in Godalming Central and Ockford, as did Labour's Nick Palmer and Green Party's Steve Williams in Godalming Binscombe and Charterhouse.

David Munro, standing as an independent, won the new Western Commons seat – with the addition of Thursley to his former Waverley Western Villages seat incorporating Churt, Tilford and Frensham.

Turnout was confirmed at just under 40 per cent – as reported here.

Parish and town council ballot papers will be counted on Sunday.

Waverley Borough Council 2023 local election results in full:

Alfold, Dunsfold & Hascombe:

Bramley & Wonersh (three seats):

Chiddingfold (one seat):

Cranleigh East (three seats):

Cranleigh West:

Elstead & Peper Harow (one seat):

Ewhurst & Ellens Green (one seat):

Farnham Bourne:

Farnham Castle:

Farnham Firgrove:

Farnham Heath End:

Farnham Moor Park:

Farnham North West:

Farnham Rowledge:

Farnham Weybourne:

Godalming Binscombe & Charterhouse (three seats):

Godalming Central & Ockford:

Godalming Farncombe & Catteshall:

Godalming Holloway:

Haslemere East (three seats):

Haslemere West:

Hindhead & Beacon Hill:

Western Commons:

Witley & Milford (three seats):