YORK'S MP Hugh Bayley has warned Labour supporters that they risk losing control of the city council in two crucial by-elections.

Hugh Bayley said if Labour supporters stayed at home City of York Council could end up with no party in overall control.

He spoke after a bad night for Labour, as the party lost hundreds of local council seats across the country and York-born Frank Dobson failed to halt Ken Livingstone's drive to becoming London's first elected Mayor.

Locally, the party lost one of only two seats on Harrogate Borough Council to the Liberal Democrats, who comfortably retained control of the authority despite losing three seats to the Conservatives.

Labour also lost two seats to a Liberal Democrat and an Independent in a by-election for the Streonsalh ward of Scarborough Borough Council.

Mr Bayley said: "The Tories have done well. There is a real danger that they could put Labour out of office in York.

"We have a successful Labour council which charges a lower council tax than the neighbouring Tory and Liberal Democrat councils.

"We need to persuade Labour supporters that they need to go to the polling stations in the Bootham and Monk by-elections if they want to keep York Labour."

The national results, which left the Tories jubilant, provoked mixed reactions in York where politicians are gearing up for the crucial by-elections, on May 11 in Bootham ward, and on May 18 in Monk.

Asked if he thought the national results would impact on the York elections, City of York Council leader Coun Rod Hills said: "I wouldn't have thought so. York people will make their own minds up, as they always do."

The council's Liberal Democrat group leader, Coun Steve Galloway, said the night's results had shown that the party could win seats from Labour in the north of England. "It does mean we are very confident indeed about our chances in both the by-elections."

Conservative group leader Coun John Galvin was in a bullish mood after his party's gains elsewhere in Yorkshire, saying: "We shall certainly take Monk, and don't write off Bootham."

Labour had an overall majority of one before the by-elections. If they were to lose one or both of the seats that would leave them still the biggest single party, but without overall control.

In that case Coun Galloway said he thought they would have to be more consensus decisions between all the parties, but Coun Galvin said the Tories would approach each issue on its merits and neither of the other parties should count on their support.

Ryedale Tory MP John Greenway said he believed Labour could lose overall control in York unless there was a "dramatic reversal in Labour fortune in the next week".

He said: "These are wards the Conservatives have held before and we are putting up good candidates and a good fight."

Phil Willis, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said: "Labour's vote virtually collapsed in Harrogate.

"That will be typical of what is happening in York where the Liberal Democrats have done a particularly good job in opposition.

"Labour have become very complacent. I think the Liberal Democrats will win both of the seats in York."