YATE and Chipping Sodbury remained Liberal Democrat strongholds in last night’s count.

The five Lib Dem councillors in Yate North and Yate Central, Sue Walker and Ruth Davis, Mike Robbins, Mike Drew and Ian Blair, all kept their seats with majorities of more than 1,000.

Sue Walker, who has been a councillor for 32 years, told the Gazette: "I am pleased to be able to continue. There is a lot going on in Yate at the moment and there are still things I am passionate about and want to do."

In Chipping Sodbury, where the Conservative party put up a strong fight, Linda Boon was re-elected with 1,606 votes whilst her husband and former Avon District councillor Adrian Rush takes over from the retiring Sheila Mead, with 1,431 votes.

Town mayor Paul Whittle and his wife Wendy came third and fourth with 1,198 and 1,085 votes respectively and Labour increased its number of votes from 118 and 189 in 2007 to 257 and 258 this year.

The Conservatives won back a seat in Boyd Valley with Ben Stokes and Stephen Reade becoming newly elected councillors. It follows the retirement of Sandra Grant and Sarah Turley, who defected from the Tories to the Lib Dems after being elected last time, but did not stand.

In Dodington, the Lib Dems maintained a significant majority as Alan Lawrance was re-elected and Dafydd Holbrook, a parish councillor for the past year, became the youngest district councillor taking over from retiring Kay Crowe.

Mr Holbrook, aged 26, said: "I am absolutely thrilled and going through a mixture of being ecstatic and feeling completely exhausted.

"It is going to be a big challenge but I am really looking forward to it."

There were few upsets in other wards, with Lib Dems Sue Hope (Cotswold Edge), Howard Gawler (Ladden Brook), Claire Young (Westerleigh) and Dave and Pat Hockey (Frampton Cotterell) keeping their seats.

Conservative John Godwin was re-elected in Winterbourne, with parish council chairman and fellow Tory Tim Bowles taking over from Allan Higgs, who has retired. The Tories also kept hold of Frenchay and Stoke Park with Trevor Jones and Bob Pullin.

The Lib Dems had been fearing more losses in the light of leader Nick Clegg’s performance in the polls.

South Gloucestershire group leader Ruth Davis said: "I am disappointed that we have lost some hard working and experienced councillors but I am really pleased that across Thornbury and Yate the residents have recognised our local campaigning and our hard work."