The Liberal Democrats will have more councillors in the Guildhall than they have ever had before.

A successful city council election for the Lib Dems saw the party increase its number of seats on Worcester City Council from four to five.

Mel Allcott, Jessie Jagger and Karen Lawrance claimed huge vote shares to retain their seats in Claines, with Cllr Allcott’s 1,798 being the single most votes picked up by any one candidate across the city.

Sarah Murray was re-elected in the St Nicholas ward (formerly Warndon Parish North) and John Rudge produced one of the shocks of the night, ousting former mayor Stephen Hodgson and holding off a challenge from the Greens’ Martyn Hencher to claim the other St Nicholas seat for the Lib Dems.

Worcester News: John Rudge and Sarah Murray were elected in St NicholasJohn Rudge and Sarah Murray were elected in St Nicholas (Image: NQ)

Cllr Allcott, who is also the Lib Dem candidate for Worcester MP, said: “Looking across the wards, not everyone wants to make that move from the Tories to Labour and we can offer a home for them, we’re very centrist.

“People can expect to be looked after, we are focused on transport, the environment and housing as well as the NHS which has been neglected for far too long. We will use a democratic approach and listen to our residents, not just tell them what the agenda is.

“We have listened to people and it has worked, the results are in the majority we have in Claines.”

Also for the Lib Dems, John Renshaw increased his share of the vote in the St Peter’s ward, finishing third behind Green councillors Steve Cockeram and Elena Round, and pushing Tories Steve Mackay and James Woolgar into fourth and fifth place.

Mr Renshaw said: “I’m delighted with the increase in my personal vote. The two Lib Dem candidates outpolled the two Conservative candidates in St Peter’s and now move into second place behind the Green Party. That’s real progress.”

In the Worcester votes for West Mercia police and crime commissioner, the Liberal Democrats’ Sarah Murray finished fourth with just over 4,000 votes.

But across the force area, she claimed 33,782 votes to take third place behind John-Paul Campion, who was re-elected for the Tories, and Labour’s Richard Overton.