BLUE is the colour in North Yorkshire today after the Conservative Party swept to a comprehensive victory in the county council elections.

With all 72 results in, the Conservatives gained 41 seats giving the party a comfortable majority in the new council.

The Liberal Democrats are the next biggest party with 18 seats, Labour have nine seats, with four independents.

While the national Tory party was picking up modest gains across the country, the North Yorkshire locals strengthened their position in the traditional Conservative heartland.

That was typified by buoyant Ryedale Conservatives, who gained the Pickering ward from the Liberal Democrats.

This made the district map in Ryedale true blue - except for Norton, which was held by just five votes by long-standing Liberal Democrat David-Lloyd Williams.

The neck-and-neck Norton race demanded two recounts. Conservative runner-up James Cleary said he had enjoyed a very positive reaction in the rural areas, but believed Coun Lloyd-Williams' name carried him through in the town.

Coun Lloyd-Williams, who has represented Norton on the county council for 26 years and has never lost a local election, said it was the tightest campaign he had ever fought.

"I think a lot of it is to do with the confusion caused by having a General Election on the same day," he said. "People on the doorstep were asking me about immigration. I can't do anything about that - I can have an influence over highways and that kind of thing."

In Pickering, Greg White benefited from a split vote for the Liberal Democrats caused by the presence of a Liberal candidate, John Clark.

Elsewhere, Malton was a close-fought battle between existing Conservative Mike Knaggs and Liberal Democrat Mayor of Malton Ann Hopkinson, with Coun Knagss squeezing home.

The Tory majority was drastically reduced in Thornton-le-Dale and the Wolds, where Ron Haigh replaced Murray Naylor as Conservative candidate.

Kirkbymoorside and Hovingham and Sheriff Hutton remained safe Conservative wards.

Coun John Weighell, Conservative leader said he was determined to work for all residents following his party's victory. The Conservatives attracted 44 per cent of the county vote.

He said: "I would like to thank residents for putting their trust in us. This will be a county council for all residents, because only by working together can we make North Yorkshire an even better place to live.

"We campaigned on a positive agenda which we will now carry forward. Our task is to deliver high-quality services at reasonably cost to the taxpayer."

Updated: 09:35 Saturday, May 07, 2005