But two of the four contests were won by independents and in the third, at Bedfordshire Council's Plantation division, the party surprisingly failed to fight despite taking more than a third of the vote in 2001 on the same day as the general election.
The only seat to change hands was at Woodlands, Scarborough Borough, North Yorkshire where independent Philip McDonald won from Labour in a ward where another non-party councillor was also elected last May.
Independent David Mash won a tight three-cornered fight at Stobhill, Castle Morpeth Borough, Northumberland.
The only three-party political battle, at Alderney, Poole Borough, saw a huge swing to the Liberal Democrats, on a turnout little changed since last May, with most of their increase coming from the Tories and Labour avoiding a big third-place squeeze.
Results
Bedfordshire County - Plantation
Con 679
Lib Dem 287
(June 2001 Con 1491, Lab 1017, Lib Dem 496)
Con hold
Swing: 3.7% Lib Dem to Con
Castle Morpeth District - Stobhill
Ind 225
Lab 218
Lib Dem 217
Con 132
(May 2003 two seats Lab 505, Ind 384, Lab 333, Con 110, 110)
Ind hold Swing: 11.5% Lab to Con
Poole Borough - Alderney
Lib Dem 1392
Con 527
Lab 327
Ind 77
Ind 61
(May 2003 three seats Lib Dem 1227, 1214, 1135, Con 934, 798, 779, Lab 377, 373, 362, Dorset Stop The War 72)
Lib Dem hold
Swing: 11% Con to Lib Dem
Scarborough Borough - Woodlands
Ind 274
Lab 198
Con 138
Green 69
Socialist Alliance 30
(May 2003 two seats Ind 472, Lab 317, 269, Ind 238, C 220)
Ind gain from Lab
Swing: 0.1% Lab to Con
