The Conservatives have lost control of Hampshire County Council for the first time in almost 30 years after suffering major losses to Reform UK, which made significant gains across the county.

With one division still to declare — Aldershot North — the Conservatives are left with 27 seats, down sharply from the 50 they held at the last election and well short of the numbers needed to retain overall control of the 78-seat authority.

The Liberal Democrats increased their representation from 19 seats to 26, while Reform UK surged from just one councillor to 19 in one of the party’s strongest performances in the South.

The result marks a major political shift at County Hall, where the Conservatives have dominated local politics for decades.

Among the biggest losses for the Conservatives was deputy council leader Jan Warwick, who was defeated by Liberal Democrat candidate James Batho in Winchester.

Cabinet member Lulu Bowerman also lost her seat in North West Havant to Reform UK candidate George David Madgwick.

Reform UK made gains in several areas that had long been considered safe Conservative territory, benefiting from falling Tory support across parts of suburban and rural Hampshire.

The Liberal Democrats also picked up seats across the county, leaving them just one behind the Conservatives overall and helping push the council into a hung authority.

Labour won one seat, while the Greens also secured one. There were also single-seat victories for an Independent, the Whitehill & Bordon Community Party and the Community Campaign (Hart).

With no party holding a majority, the council will now have to operate without a clear controlling group, meaning future decisions are likely to depend on cross-party support and negotiations between councillors.

The outcome is likely to raise serious questions for the Conservatives in Hampshire, where the party had long treated the county as one of its safest areas but now faces growing pressure from both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.