THE people of York and North Yorkshire will today learn who will run their councils for the next four years, after a massive day of voting throughout our region.

Tens of thousands of people took part in yesterday's local elections in York, Ryedale, Hambleton, Harrogate, Selby district and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

In the city of York, the Liberal Democrats were confident they would remain the largest party and they will discover today whether they have retained outright control of the council.

They said they appeared to have done well in their core seats, but they have possibly lost one or more of the single-member wards.

The three-member marginal of Holgate could go a long way to determining whether the Lib Dems have an outright majority.

Terry Smith was confident he had won Osbaldwick for the Conservatives and, in Heslington, where turnout soared, it was a three-way fight between Labour, the Greens and the sitting Lib Dem, Ceredig Jamieson-Ball.

Elsewhere in the city, Labour candidates voiced fears they had suffered due to anti-Government feeling.

There were suggestions they may have made losses to the Greens in Micklegate ward and possibly even to the Conservatives in Hull Road.

Labour leader Dave Merrett, himself a Micklegate councillor, refused to speculate on the outcome of today's count, but early this morning one of his colleagues told The Press: "It's looking like a complete disaster for Labour at the moment."

The Greens were confident of retaining Fishergate, though Labour's Tom Gibson believed it was close.

Fulford also looked to be marginal, between the Lib Dems and Greens.

Green Party leader Andy D'Agorne said: "We will have to wait and see. I think it's going to be close in Micklegate. We have done all right in Fishergate."

Lib Dem boss and incumbent council leader Steve Galloway said: "Everybody seems very happy. We will see how it goes. It will be varied across the city."

He said he was delighted with the response on the doorsteps, and felt voters had been "very intelligent" about the issues.

He said: "I would be fairly confident we would still remain largest party."

John Galvin, of the Tories, said: "I think we have done very well, but it's what's in the ballot box that's important. Trying to predict is very difficult."

BNP agent Ian Dawson said his party appeared to have won no seats, but he thought they had done fairly well votes-wise in each of their nine wards. He said: "I certainly think it will put a rocket up the liberal establishment."

York's 122 polling stations were open from 7am to 10pm yesterday, as 177 candidates and their supporters made one final push, after weeks of campaigning. The votes were then taken to Oaklands sports centre ahead of today's count.

In Selby, Mark Crane, incumbent leader of the Conservative council, was confident. He said: "I feel we've had a good reception on the door and at the polling stations. I'm upbeat - I'm hoping to see our majority increase."

He said he would like to have seen a higher turnout. In his own ward, it appeared to be around 40 per cent, he said.

Deputy Labour leader Steve Shaw-Wright said: "It's been okay.

"The atmosphere has been subdued - several people have said that.

"But lots of people have come out and all the people I've spoken to have been talking about things we've done in the past."