It was the moment the Tories had been waiting for.

After years in the doldrums, they enjoyed a small but significant upturn in their fortunes in yesterday's local council elections in North and East Yorkshire.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council remained a hung authority but with a slight swing towards the Conservatives. The final make-up was Tory 27, Labour 12, Lib Dems 22 and Independents six. The leader of the Conservative group, Stephen Parnaby, said:

"We're absolutely delighted - chuffed to bits. We never expected to gain as many seats because of the national picture overall."

And in Hambleton, the Tory stranglehold on the district council was tightened when - with the help of several independents who came on board as Conservatives - they bagged 35 of the 47 seats. Labour was left the crumbs, their seat count halved to two, with the Lib Dems gaining one seat to boast a total of four. Tory campaign co-ordinator Caroline Dickinson said: "This is a very positive result for us and we worked very hard for it."

Meanwhile, cock-a-hoop Conservatives heralded a "return to democracy" in Selby as they celebrated five gains in the district council elections.The Tories secured 15 of the 41 seats, weakening Labour's stranglehold by making it a hung council.

Labour still holds the majority of seats with 19 - but with five Independents and two Liberal democrats, they have lost overall control.

As the Tory champagne corks popped at Selby's Abbey Leisure Centre, Conservative leaders said the tide was starting to turn.

The Tories did well in Harrogate too, gaining three seats at the expense of Labour, the Lib Dems and an Independent. The make-up is now Lib Dem 41, Conservative 15 and Labour 3. Although they retained their council stranglehold with few upsets, Lib Dem party officials were relieved to have escaped the punches that never came.

Liberal Democrat constituency agent John Fox claimed: "We expected a Tory revival which has not materialised in this district."

A night of tension in Ryedale ended with control of the district council hanging by a thread. The 23-seat council remains hung, but the Conservatives now have 11 seats - only one short of an outright majority. The Liberal Democrats have only five seats, compared with nine at the last election.

Among the casualties was long-serving Malton ward councillor Frank Wiggle, who said: "As an Independent, I was against politics in local government. For some reason, the voters seem to have voted on a purely political basis."

Tory group leader Keith Knaggs said: "Some of the themes of the countryside possibly being neglected by local government in Ryedale have struck a chord."In Scarborough, there was an upset with both the mayor and leader of the borough council losing their seats in shock results.

Coun Fred Standing, a retired newspaper print worker, was due to finish his term of office as mayor in three weeks. Both he and council leader Coun Mavis Don, a retired teacher, had represented Eastfield for the Labour Party for several years but were beaten by two independents. The new make-up of the council, with three seats still to be declared, is Conservative 16, Labour 13, Independents 12 and Lib Dems five.

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