LABOUR came within a whisker of regaining control of Blackburn with Darwen Council today after a strong showing in the local elections.

At a dramatic count at King George’s Hall, Labour had seemed set to draw level with the coalition of rival parties keeping it out.

But the recounted seat of Meadowhead left the Conservative, Lib Dem and For Darwen coalition on 33 to Labour’s 31.

Afterwards Tory council leader Michael Lee rejected Labour claims that their party now had a mandate to rule the town hall after stretching its lead over other parties, and vowed to press on with the partnership.

Meanwhile Labour leader Kate Hollern suggested her group would consider approaching another party in order to 'bring the stability the borough needs'.

There were plenty of weary faces at King George’s Hall the day after the 4am finish for the General Election count, but the venue was again packed as candidates and party activists watched keenly as the votes were totted up.

Labour hopes were high following Jack Straw’s comfortable win and the party gained three seats, in Audley, ousting Lib Dem housing chief Salim Lorgat, Bastwell, at the expense of another Liberal, Sajid Ali, and Shear Brow, where former Lib Dem Arif Waghat failed to regain his seat as an independent.

It was another miserable day for the Lib Dems after their disappointing General Election performance, with the party losing two seats, although group leader David Foster comfortably retained Whitehall.

The Conservatives picked up one, in the Fernhurst seat vacated by English Democrat Michael Johnson. For Darwen did not make any new gains and remain on five seats.

At point Tory Konrad Tapp looked to have lost his Meadowhead seat to Labour, but the bundles of votes had been mixed up and the result was reversed.

Had he lost, the two parties would have each had 32 seats, meaning control would have hung on casting vote of Tory mayor Sheila Williams.

Coun Hollern said: “I am absolutely delighted. It is a really good result for Labour.

“The coalition would be stretching democracy to the limit by keeping control because we are by far the biggest party.”

But Coun Lee rejected her claim, adding: “The Labour vote came out in droves because of the General Election, and it cost us some seats we would have hoped to win.

"We have more seats than we started with, although perhaps not as many as we would have hoped.”