Reform UK has swept in as the biggest party in Warwickshire County Council's elections with one of the winners insisting their lack of experience "doesn't worry me in the slightest". 

Big changes were expected at the Conservative-run authority but Reform pretty much swept the board in the north on a day that Tory leader Izzi Seccombe lost her seat after 12 years as leader and 24 years on the council. 

Reform's tally of 23 seats – six short of claiming outright power – on top of the way the other seats got split means the newbies are likely to get the first crack at forming an administration.

However, party chair in Stratford James Crocker, who won his Arden seat from the Conservatives, said it was too soon to say what comes next.

"We will figure this out amongst ourselves and quickly, over the next few days," he said.

"HQ has discussed this but we can't say a great deal for sure.

"A lot of the competing parties are very organised.

"They have a lot of people and have been doing this for a long time, the Lib Dems in Stratford in particular know what they are doing. 

"A lot of us are doing this for the first time, it is not rocket science but we are only just learning some of the basics.

"I am sure there will be lots of Zoom calls and we might have an answer next week. This is brand new to us but the one thing we do need is decent leadership.

"I realise that an organisation needs structure and we will get that. The one thing we do have is talent so I am confident, we might not have a huge amount of experience but we do have that talent. 

"It doesn't worry me in the slightest, we will figure it out."

Reform took every North Warwickshire and Nuneaton & Bedworth seat bar Weddington where Keith Kondakor (Green) returned to power after four years away. 

"At a bigger level we are doing this because we think our local politicians, and our national ones, are not listening to us," added Cllr Crocker.

"That is the message you get from the vote, people have listened to us and voted on the issues that they think about and worry about. 

"I started in Stratford with nothing post-Brexit party, there were two or three of us with a handful of leaflets and a few doors to knock on. 

"I stood for Stratford South in 2021 and I didn't even attend the count, we had a handful of votes. All we wanted was to make a change but it was rather difficult with no money, not many leaflets and no people. 

"Even then we definitely sensed that people agreed with the things we were saying but to come from nothing to 23 seats is humbling – I don't want to say astonishing because I am not that surprised, people do agree with us.

"It was the silent majority, it was just a case of whether people would turn out to vote."

The Liberal Democrats pushed into second spot with six gains across Stratford-on-Avon district, including David Curtis beating Izzi Seccombe.

The yellows also gained Cubbington & Leek Wootton from ex-Tory independent Wallace Redford, Rugby's Bilton & Hillside seat from Labour's Barbara Brown and Leamington Clarendon from Sarah Millar to go from five seats to 14 overall.

Group leader Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, who comfortably held his Eastlands seat on the Rugby patch, thanked the electorate and said he was "humbled" to be picked for another stint. He pretty much ruled out teaming up with Reform.

"It is pretty unlikely that we'll do a deal with anyone until we get the new Liberal Democrat group together which will be early next week," he said.

"There will be a discussion within the group but quite clearly, we have councillors from the east and the south. Reform are mainly from the north of the county, anyone who knows anything about Warwickshire politics knows that will split things. 

"We will take a bit of time over the weekend but it is pretty unlikely there will be any deals with Reform, Labour or the Conservatives."

The Conservatives plummeted from 41 seats to nine, the Green Party gained four to move on to seven with Labour pushed down to fifth place having retained only three seats – group leader Sarah Feeney (Benn) and deputy John Holland (Warwick West) hanging on.

Judy Falp held her Whitnash seat for Whitnash Residents Association.