CHESHIRE West and Chester council leader Mike Jones is planning the second term he has always sought but only with a slimline majority and a stronger opposition .

The astonishing results of the election in May 2008 ahead of the creation of the new council gave the Tories a massive lead of 38 on the then 72 seat authority.

This will quickly become history as Labour leader Cllr Derek Bateman marches his new 32 strong group into the Winsford council chamber for the first time - only weeks after the previous 13 strong opposition walked out protesting their voice was not being heard.

Faced with the prospect of ekeing out a majority of just nine over the next four years, Cllr Jones will need help from the new group whip he will have to appoint after losing his previous whip, mid Cheshire councillor George Miller, chairman of Connexions, who was targeted by Labour.

The reduced majority will be vulnerable to unforeseen political perils such as rebellions and flu.

Although Tory gains elsewhere in the country bypassed Cheshire West and Chester and despite Labour jubilation, Cllr Jones still has the upper hand in the council chamber and in the ruling Tory Executive which has survived mostly intact.

Culture and recreation chief Richard Short was beaten by Labour in distant Little Neston and Burton, far from his normal south of the river electorate while children's services portfolio holder Arthur Harada (Con) was not a candidate.

Having created the now £850m authority from scratch with his new chief executive Steve Robinson and achieved savings marching past £50m with a zero increase in council tax this year, Cllr Jones will be keen to use the next four years to build on his aspirations for the council and for the borough.

Apart from aiming to be the best council in the country, Cheshire West and Chester has ambitious regeneration schemes for Chester, Ellesmere Port, the Weaver Valley and the rural area which the former Chester Lord Mayor will want to drive forward along with further efficiencies in the council and the first phases of his multi-million-pound vision for new capital spending to improve facilities for West Cheshire people.

"It was inevitable there would be some reaction to the Government's highly necessary, but painful, cuts, and we expected to lose some seats in marginal wards," disclosed Cllr Jones.

"However, I believe the fact that we have retained control of the council is a reflection of public recognition of our priorities to restore Chester to its rightful place as an international visitor centre and to regenerate both Ellesmere Port and Northwich."

Cllr Jones felt the boundary changes favoured Labour and cost the Conservatives at least eight seats.

Cllr Bateman, seen basking in the sunshine outside the count with political pundit Jim Hancock, said:"This is an exceptional result for us.

"We are delighted to close the gap to such an extent and I believe that a stronger opposition will provide a healthier future for the borough's electors.

"It will give us a stronger voice and the opportunity to engage with the administration on a much wider front.

"We want to work together for the benefit of all areas throughout the borough."

Although the turnout this time round at 45% was lower than the 54% three years ago, election gurus will be poring over the effect of the 46 new wards, an increase of 22.

The Tory administration favoured wards with two and three councillors but Parliament agreed a mix of one, two and three member wards recommended by the Local Government Boundary Commission in London after consultations in the borough.

Labour and the Lib Dems backed wards with just a single councillor which they argued had been proposed in the original bid document for the new council.

Labour councillor Reggie Jones (Blacon), recently threatened with being asked to leave the council chamber following an outburst, suggests:“The significant number of Labour gains on the council reflects the view that residents are rejecting the policies of the Tories locally".

Two thirds of people in Blacon did not vote.

The sole remaining Lib Dem Cllr Bob Thompson (Hoole) saw his leader Cllr Malcolm Gaskill and the two other Lib Dems elected to the council in 2008, all in Mid Cheshire, defeated.

Well known names from the previous county and city councils resurfaced with David Robinson (Lab) winning in Boughton, where former lord mayor Jim Latham pitched up for the Lib Dems but came bottom of the poll and Alex Black (Lab) returning in Hoole.

Cllr Black, whose wife, former city councillor Janet, was teasing out the Labour vote in Saughall and Mollington and was not elected, hopes to work with Cllr Thompson in the ward's best interest.

Former city council cabinet member Bob Rudd (Lab), first returned as a councillor in 1972 and who introduced Chester's community safety wardens, played it safe in the new Garden Quarter ward and topped the poll to take over his wife's old stomping ground.

Cllr Rudd, previous city MP Christine Russell's heavyweight political strategist, worked the doorsteps as his wife Sandra flew the party flag in Tarvin and Kelsall.

Despite the popular support for the new ward, it returned the lowest turnout in the borough of 27.1% with Cllr Rudd taking nearly half the vote.

Keeping it in the family, former Tory city council leader Margaret Parker teamed up with husband Stuart, assistant executive member for prosperity, to win the two seats in Chester Villages.

Not to be outdone, Labour resources spokesman Justin Madders, a former Ellesmere Port and Neston borough leader, was re-elected for Ellesmere Port Town and saw partner Nicole Mearden win on the outskirts.

For the Lib Dems, former Town Hall leader Paul Roberts stood on his home ground in Farndon but was not successful.

The city centre swung back to Labour where Samantha Dixon was successful with former city councillor Neil Sullivan (Con) returning in Handbridge Park, joining Razia Daniels (Con) who was re-elected.

In Ledsham and Manor, one former Ellesmere Port and Neston mayor, Graham Smith (Con), vice chairman of the fire authority, was defeated by another, Labour's Keith Butcher.

The poll there was topped by Ellesmere Port mayor Gareth Anderson (Con) although the Anderson family involvement in the council was dramatically reduced with the defeat of his father Brian Anderson and sister Kimberley in other seats.

Cllr Anderson will take comfort from the decisive rejection of AV in Cheshire West having delivered an eloquent speech opposing the change at a recent council meeting.

But as he drives down the A41 he will see red with familiar Ellesmere Port and Neston opposition faces Angela Claydon, Mark Henesy and Paul Donovan occupying seats stretching from St Paul’s through Sutton to Strawberry apart from Cllr Butcher in his own ward.

Labour deputy leader Pat Merrick was returned in Rossmore.

In Neston, Scott Mealor (Con) was defeated by Labour's Andy Williams, a Neston town councillor and a former Ellesmere Port and Neston borough councillor.

None of the former Conservatives who stood as Independents or UKIP were elected.

In Saughall and Mollington, planning chairman Andrew Storrar came within 250 votes of successful candidate Brian Crowe but Brian Bailey, who previously had the highest vote in the council, was reduced to splitting the Labour vote in Chester Villages.

Barbara Roberts, the council's deputy chairman in 2010/11, was not re-elected in Tarvin but gained third place in the poll.

Richard Lowe, who fought for UKIP in Garden Quarter after moving from City ward, was unsuccessful.

The only Tory candidates to be chosen at an open primary, John Ebo and Lesley George in Hoole, were not elected.

The Lib Dem vote there held up with Cllr Thompson re-elected and former city councillor David Mead splitting the Tory vote and polling ahead of Labour candidate Jason Styles, also a former city councillor.

Huntington councillor Mark Williams (Con) had an easy re-election but in Elton new Conservative candidate Graham Heatley had a majority of less than 30.

In Frodsham, scrutiny specialist Andrew Dawson (Con) and communities and environment portfolio holder Lynn Riley (Con) were well ahead of the field

Incoming council chairman Eleanor Johnson (Con) carried off Gowy with almost two-thirds of the vote while Tories Keith Board and Pamela Hall won in Great Boughton where former city councillor Ann Farrell stood for the Lib Dems.

The council's deputy leader, Les Ford (Con) won easily in Helsby, which has 14% more voters than the average, the largest variation in the borough, with just over half of the vote.

Kingsley saw planning chairman Ralph Oultram (Con) romp home with almost two-thirds of the vote while in Lache, Alex Tate (Lab), who had switched from Blacon, won with over half the vote.

In Little Neston and Burton, where Richard Short was almost 400 votes adrift of colleague Conservative Kay Loch who was elected, Labour candidate Louise Gittins took the second seat.

Activists pointed out picture-postcard Burton, known for its high worth individuals, now had a Labour councillor.

Malpas saw Ann Wright re-elected with almost 70% of the vote while in Newton Adrian Walmsley (Con) was re-elected along with Tom Parry (Con) who had moved from the city centre.

Adult services portfolio holder Brenda Dowding (Con) had a more than comfortable victory in Parkgate while in Strawberry, former Ellesmere Port and Neston planning chairman Mark Henesy was elected with almost 50% of the vote.

Electors in Tarporley plumped for former county council executive member Eveleigh Moore-Dutton (Con) who had almost three-quarters of the vote while in neighbouring Tarvin and Kelsall, Hugo Deynem and John Leather were returned for the Conservatives.

Council leader Mike Jones had two thirds of the vote in Tattenhall while electors in Upton returned Conservatives Jill Houlbrook and Hilarie McNae with the Lib Dems in third place.

In Willaston and Thornton, Tory Myles Hogg, who is holding the political hot potato of outsourcing the management of the former Ellesmere Port and Neston housing stock, had almost 80% of the vote.

Councillors who did not stand included outgoing Cheshire West and Chester chairman and Lord Mayor Neil Ritchie (Con, Broxton), Arthur Harada (Con, Overleigh), who had been children’s services portfolio holder, Max Drury (Con, City) and Pat Lott (Con, Upton).

A total of 231 candidates contested the 75 seats in the election.

The new make up compared with the original 2008 council is 42 Conservative (55), 32 Labour (13) and one Liberal Democrat (4).

Conservatives polled 45.37% of the vote, Labour 36.98% and Liberal Democrats 12.11%.