Local election results 2014: Green Party makes steady progress across the country

The Green Party enjoyed a steady but unspectacular performance in the town hall elections, securing a foothold in councils across England.

It ended the day with around 20 gains as it picked up its seats in Bristol, Epping Forest, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Lambeth and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

It won three more seats on the Tory-run West Midlands authority of Solihull, where it has become the second largest party.

The Greens are also the official opposition in Liverpool, where they doubled their tally of councillors to four, and in Norwich, where they have 15 councillors.

Natalie Bennett, the party's leader, said: “We are seeing progress right around the country. We're becoming much more of a national party.”

She said she hoped the declaration of Sunday's Euro-election results would lead to a boost in the Greens' strength in the European Parliament. The party has been tipped to come fourth in the popular vote ahead of the Liberal Democrats.