The Conservatives comfortably retained control of Wealden with a majority of 13 seats.

The Tories won 34 seats, the Liberal Democrats 15 and six fell to independents.

The Lib Dems saw group leader Eddie Rice lose his seat in Rotherfield as they failed to make the longed-for breakthrough.

Labour failed to win a single seat on the council despite high hopes in Uckfield.

The Polegate Residents Association caused one of the biggest upsets when Ivy Scarborough won Polegate South, a former Lib Dem stronghold.

She said: "What we have offered people is the choice of looking at local issues and not national politics."

Independents also polled strongly in Hailsham and Crowborough but it was the Tories who continued to dominate.

Tory leader Nigel Coltman said: "I think people have respected that when we say we are going to be more careful with the council taxpayers' money we mean it and we have proved it."

The Lib Dems tried to hide their disappointment.

Stephen Shing, one of three victorious Lib Dems at Willingdon said: "I was quite disappointed we did not do as well as we wanted as a whole.

"In Willingdon we did extraordinarily well. If we work hard we will get a vote."

The new council has 55 seats. There have been major boundary changes since the last local elections in 1999, meaning none of the winners were sitting candidates.

RESULTS
ALFRISTON: Elected - Keith Whitehead (C) 673. Not elected - Caroline Adcock (LD) 327.

BUXTED AND MARESFIELD: Elected - Patricia Kennedy (C) 904, Norman Buck (C) 862. Not elected - Peter Selby (G) 357, Ken Ogden (I) 314, Graham Morgan (LD) 293.

CHIDDINGLY AND EAST HOATHLY: Elected - Sylvia Tidy (C). No contest.

CROSS-IN-HAND AND FIVE ASHES: Elected - Jonica Fox (C) 511. Not elected - Michael Bryant (LD) 177, Jennifer Evans (G) 53.

CROWBOROUGH EAST: Elected - Carolyn Clark (LD) 555, Ian Mein (LD) 540. Not elected - Anthony Edwards (C) 422, Neil Waller (C) 408, Derek Sivers (L) 118.

CROWBOROUGH JARVIS BROOK: Elected - Ian McKirgan (I) 222. Not elected - Peter Bucklitsch (LD) 221, Brian Hewitt (C) 126.

CROWBOROUGH NORTH: Elected - Chantal Wilson (I) 1038, Hector Munro (C) 671. Not elected - Nigel Mahony (LD) 328, Sonja Le Vay (L) 201, Michael Wallman (none) 131.

CROWBOROUGH ST JOHNS: Elected - Richard Broughton-Tomkins (C) 458. Not elected - Hilary Lyon (LD) 103, Jean McCarthy (L) 47.

CROWBOROUGH WEST: Elected - Diane Phillips (C) 814, Antony Quin (C) 812. Not elected - Edward Willis (LD) 394, Brendan Clegg (L) 238.

DANEHILL, FLETCHING AND NUTLEY: Elected - Sylvia Martin (C) 1052, Bernard Brown (C) 1024. Not elected - John Stevens (LD) 571.

EAST DEAN: Elected - Brian West (C) 612. Not elected - Robert Hillman (LD) 290.

FOREST ROW: Elected - Rowena Moore (C) 708, Raymond Parsons (C) 668. Not elected - Linda Graham (LD) 526, Norma McNamara (L) 270.

FRAMFIELD: Elected - John Gore (C) 563. Not elected - Susanna Mockridge (LD) 168, Keith Riddle (UKIP) 137.

FRANT AND WITHYHAM: Elected - Lord Abergavenny (C) 827, Lynda Myers (C) 822. Not elected - Briony Taylor (LD) 431, Keith Obbard (G) 404, Michael Clare (L) 179.

HAILSHAM CENTRAL AND NORTH: Elected - Paul Holbrook (LD) 494, Laura Murphy (LD) 434. Not elected - Richard West (C) 425, John Ball (C) 419, John Glover (I) 348, Madeleine Ellwood (I) 344, Steven Jordan (L) 146.

HAILSHAM EAST: Elected - Nigel Coltman (C) 170. Not elected - Brian Cock (LD) 128, Dudley Rose (L) 113, William Crittenden (I) 94.

HAILSHAM SOUTH AND WEST: Elected - Geoffrey Rowe (I) 713, Jonathan Ellwood (I) 702, Ian Haffenden (I) 685. Not elected - Sharon Cottingham (LD) 572, Sybil Bentley (C) 567, Edward Powell (LD) 554, Gavin Blake-Coggins (LD) 551, Jeffery Bentley-Astor (C) 524, John Kent (C) 511.

HARTFIELD: Elected - Jeremy Hollins (C). No contest.

HEATHFIELD EAST: Elected - Janice Dunk (C) 443. Not elected - John Evans (LD) 191.

HEATHFIELD NORTH AND CENTRAL: Elected - Richard Angel (C) 1082, Margaret Kirkpatrick (C) 1063, Veronica Oakes (C) 996. Not elected - David Hall (LD) 447, Timothy Rayner (G) 432.

HELLINGLY: Elected - John Blake (LD) 817. Not elected - David White (LD) 732, Barby Dashwood-Hall(C) 583, Brian Smith (C) 528.

HERSTMONCEUX: Elected - Andrew Long (C) 477. Not elected - Graham Love (LD) 279.

HORAM: Elected - Susan Stedman (C) 381. Not elected - Richard Benson (LD) 289.

MAYFIELD: Elected - Brian Redman (C) 459. Not elected - Allan Thurley (LD) 387.

NINFIELD AND HOOE WITH WARTLING: Elected - Pamela Doodes (C). No contest.

PEVENSEY AND WESTHAM: Elected - Dianne Dear (C) 1245, John Vincent (C) 1233, Linda McKeever (C) 1135. Not elected - Laura Parker (LD) 793, Christine Thomas (LD) 781.

POLEGATE NORTH: Elected - Roy Martin (LD) 888, Christina Berry (LD) 802. Not elected - John Harmer (I) 543, Gerald Carter (I) 478, Anne Hampson (C) 160, Michael Hampson (C) 152.

POLEGATE SOUTH: Elected - Ivy Scarborough (I) 349. Not elected - Patrick Trowell (LD) 241, Michael Richards (C)173.

ROTHERFIELD: Elected - David Logan (C) 379. Not elected - Edwin Rice (LD) 365, David Heritage (I) 55.

UCKFIELD CENTRAL: Elected - Claire Dowling (C) 425. Not elected - Michael Cooper (LD) 308. Eileen Wolley (L) 73.

UCKFIELD NEW TOWN: Elected - Ian Nottage (LD) 339. Not elected - Ian Smith (L) 144. Daphne Mainprice (C) 143.

UCKFIELD NORTH: Elected - Paul Sparks (LD) 632, Alan Whittaker (LD) 520. Not elected - Michael Heap (C) 356, Duncan Bennett (L) 250, Leonard Ashby (L) 246.

UCKFIELD RIDGEWOOD: Elected - Anthony Parker (LD) 483. Not elected - Silvia Buck (C) 51, Jane 'Espinasse (L) 320.

WADHURST: Elected - Anna Monaghan (C) 767, Robert Hodgson (C) 734. Not elected - Emma Sanderson-Nash (LD) 395, Rosalyn Bucklitsch (LD) 324, Jane Zacharzewski (L) 144.

WILLINGDON: Elected - Stephen Shing (LD) 1770, Anthony Seabrook (LD) 1559, Andrew Watkins (LD) 1516. Not elected - David Burtenshaw (C) 1043, Guy Woodford (C) 1000, Raymond Ingram (C) 949, Margaret Piper (I) 216, Patricia Brinson (L) 123, Helen Sedgewick (L) 114, Gillian Roles (L) 77