THE party leaders in Basingstoke are mostly hopeful that results will go their way this morning, ahead of the local election count.

Speaking to the Gazette at the Hampshire Court Hotel as votes are verified, the tone was one of optimism, accompanied by the usual nerves, from councillors. 

Cllr Andrew McCormick (Labour group leader) said: "I’m quite excited for the day.

"It’s a good day because we got Portsmouth and Southampton. But it’s a tougher clash in Basingstoke because we are fighting multiple fronts. We are very hopeful."

Meanwhile, Cllr Gavin James (Liberal Democrat group leader) said he is "excited to be here" and is "hoping for good things."

READ MORE: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council elections 2022: count and results

Cllr Paul Harvey (Basingstoke and Deane Independents group leader) said he is looking forward to hopefully “working with some new councillors”.

He added: "It was a very tiring day yesterday at the polls, but lots of people came out to vote which was lovely. We had some amazing conversations with so many people and that's the story of all of our candidates across Basingstoke and Deane.

"I'm looking forward to the count, looking forward to gaining some new colleagues today and looking forward to hearing the verdict of the people of Basingstoke and Deane."

Finally, Cllr Simon Bound (Conservative group and council leader) said: "I think national politics always have an impact on local elections. From the counts that have happened overnight, I think we can see there's been quite a mixed bag for all the political parties up and down the country."

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