LOCAL councils all over the country have been holding elections this week and the UK will go to the polls again in three weeks’ time for European elections.

So, do the results of the local elections in the South West give any clue as to how the European elections could go?

In Cornwall there were no elections but there were plenty in Devon, Somerset and beyond and, similar to other parts of the country, it is the two main national parties who have lost out the most.

While the Conservatives and Labour have both lost seats overall the gains have been for the Liberal Democrats who have seen a resurgence in these local elections.

After being almost wiped out in the House of Commons at the last general election  – generally accepted to have been due to a backlash over joining the Tories in the coalition government – the Lib Dems will be more positive after last night’s results, particularly in some key areas which have historically been strongholds for them.

Across the country there have also been big gains for the Green Party, which will be hoping to repeat the trick on May 23.

Here in the South West Molly Scott Cato has been the sole Green MEP and will be hoping to retain her seat and hope to have more Green colleagues in the region.

But while the Lib Dems and Green Party have made gains in these local elections the slate for the European elections is somewhat different with parties standing in those elections who are not represented at local councils.

The prospects of Change UK and The Brexit Party are largely unknown and untested – while opinion polls are predicting wins for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party it is uncertain whether this will transfer into votes.

What is almost certain is that the European elections will see people using the opportunity for a Brexit related protest, no matter where they sit on the issue.

Ballot papers for the local elections have been shown with people scrawling across them with Brexit slogans which is likely to happen again on May 23.

Similarly those disillusioned with Labour and Conservatives on a national level are likely to take their opportunity to vote for one of the other parties.

For Brexit supporters this is likely to see them switch to Farage’s party but for those who want to remain they could be split between voting for the Lib Dems or Greens.

Analysis from the University of Exeter shows that in the South West Labour’s share of the vote has increased in this week’s local elections while the Conservative vote has fallen.

That is quite different to other parts of the country where both Labour and Tories have seen their share of the vote fall.

Looking across the South West the results show that Bath and North East Somerset went from Conservative to Lib Dem control, Labour kept hold of Exeter City Council, North Devon is now Lib Dem controlled, having previously been under no overall control, Plymouth remains under Labour control, Somerset West and Taunton switched from Tory to Lib Dem.

It is clear that Labour and the Conservatives both have some work to do in order to convince voters to back them not just in the European elections but also in any General Election.

All other parties will sense an opportunity to take advantage of these elections to increase their influence – the Lib Dems and Greens will hope to repeat their local elections success on May 23 while the newcomers at Change UK and the Brexit Party will be seeking to send a clear message to the Government on how people feel about Brexit.