SO the local political map looks a lot different today. The Liberal Democrats have prised York away from Labour after 20 years and jubilant Tories have unseated Labour in Selby.

Elsewhere, the political contours remain similar, with, for instance, Ryedale exchanging one hung council for another.

The local results find echoes in the national picture, with Labour losing around 750 seats, the Tories gaining more than 500 and the Liberal Democrats picking up around 160 seats. While the Tories have generally had a good night, they fared less well in York, where the party held on to no seats at all.

Yet the disappearance of the Conservatives in York was not the real shock. That lay in the triumph of the Liberal Democrats, who secured the city after years of battling with Labour from the sidelines. Now the Liberal Democrats have finally taken charge of the city.

This could well be a momentous day for local politics, but it is as well not to get too carried away. The Liberal Democrats, under the forceful leadership of Steve Galloway, have been criticising from the comfort of not being in power for years now. They have attacked Labour from all angles. Now, thanks to last night's landslide local election result, they awoke this morning to find themselves in control.

For Mr Galloway, this is the moment he has dreamt of. Everything he has hoped for finds expression in this victory. So he has earned his triumphant moment. But once the cheering dies away, the hard work begins.

After a political eternity in opposition, the Liberal Democrats are now in power. They have moved from theory into practice. And now they will have to show their mettle. They will have to return the faith the voters of York have shown in them.

To date, the people of York are probably more aware of what the Liberal Democrats don't like rather than what they support. In a sense, that is the fate of all long-standing oppositions everywhere. But now the Liberal Democrats have to show what they are made of, and to present to the voters of York their vision for the future of this city.

Updated: 11:34 Friday, May 02, 2003