WEST Oxfordshire remains a sea of blue as the Tories retained their control of the district council.

Sixteen of the council’s 49 wards were up for grabs as the west of the county hit the polls on Thursday.

The Tories were defending 14 of their 40 seats at the council, the Lib Dems one of their six.

At today’s count – held at the Woodgreen offices in Witney – the Tories lost two wards to the Liberal Democrats – Woodstock & Bladon, and Eynsham & Cassington.

However, they grabbed one back from the Lib Dems – Standlake, Aston & Stanton Harcourt – and picked up the Bampton & Clanfield ward which was previously held by an Independent.

Council leader Barry Norton said: “I think it’s a good result.

“Our winning margins were more than on previous occasions.”

In the biggest upset of the day, Jill Dunsmore lost the Woodstock & Bladon ward by 175 votes to Liberal Democrat Julian Cooper.

Mr Norton said: “We are very sad to have lost Jill, who was a valuable member of the district council. She will be sorely missed.”

Conservative Mark Walker lost the Eynsham & Cassington ward to Liberal Democrat Lawrence Poole by 467 votes.

Mr Poole had to miss the election count for family reasons, but Lib Dem spokesman Margaret Stevens said: “It’s a seat we have held in the past.

“We lost it four years ago to Frances Pike, but Larry is local and cares about Eynsham.

“It’s great to have him.”

The Conservatives’ tally was helped by Martin Barrett, who won Bampton & Clanfield with a hefty majority.

He was the standing councillor but switched from being an Independent to a Conservative.

He said: “I believed that party politics had no place at a local level.

“I still believe that, but I have discovered that the party machinery is set up in such a way that you have no support without it.”

The Conservatives gained the Standlake, Aston & Stanton Harcourt ward, following the retirement of Liberal Democrat councillor Brenda Smith.

Turnout was 72.44 per cent.

Following the election, the Conservatives still have a majority of 31, holding 40 wards, while the Liberal Democrats have seven and Labour one, with one Independent.