A MAJOR backlash against tough spending cuts failed to materialise in Southampton as the ruling Tories clung to power in local elections.

Party chiefs insisted their support held up and it was a collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote that paved the way for a resurgent Labour party to position itself to take back control of the council next year.

Southampton Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts which had campaigned on a platform of no cuts, fielding candidates in 13 of the 16 wards up for election, received only modest support as a minor party but insisted their message had been positively received on the doorsteps.

In the end the Conservative majority on the city council was cut from four to two seats and they lost a leading cabinet member.

Labour gained four seats while Liberal Democrats lost both the seats they were defending.

The result leaves the Conservatives on 26 seats, Labour on 19, and the Lib Dems with just three councillors.

Senior Tories had looked on anxiously during the overnight count with the prospect of losing their majority looking a distinct possibility in some tight races.

They lost Millbrook, Sholing, and Shirley to Labour but picked up Portswood from the Lib Dems. Labour also gained Peartree from the Lib Dems.

A relieved council leader Royston Smith said: “It looks very much like the Liberal Democrat vote crumbled. And much of that went to Labour and allowed them to take a couple of seats from us by quite small majorities. Basically our vote stayed broadly the same.”

Cllr Smith said voters had not punished his party over their proposed tough spending cuts by taking seats away in “any great number”.

But Cllr Smith will now need to reshape his Cabinet after his environment and planning boss councillor Matthew Dean was defeated in Shirley. He lost to the Labour candidate Satvir Kaur by 119 votes after a recount.

Cllr Smith paid tribute to Cllr Dean saying: “We’ve lost a good one. He will be a tough act to follow.”

Cllr Dean, who left the count before his result was declared, claimed Labour had targeted his seat with a small army of campaigners.

Labour, who had needed to win all 16 seats up for grabs to seize power, were nonetheless jubilant when the final results were declared just after 4am yesterday.

Asa Thorpe took Millbrook for Labour the first time in 15 years with a 153-vote majority. He admitted the controversial proposals for a huge biomass power plant had been a “major issue” but put his win down to door to door campaigning rather than paying for leaflets drops.

“We’re very pleased with the results and are feeling very positive about taking back the city in 2012,” he said.

Labour councillor Jacqui Rayment romped home with the largest majority of the night in Bevois to hold her seat, 1,184 votes ahead of her Tory rival.

Southampton’s Labour MP for Test Alan Whitehead: “It’s been smashing night for Labour across the city. The Labour vote really rocketed up across the city. We made four gains in all parts in the city.

“It sets us up for next year’s election when we can confidently look forward to Labour regaining control of the city council.”

Lib Dem group leader Adrian Vinson called the result “disappointing” and blamed national dissatisfaction with the party.

He said: “It’s not our best night. We’ve taken some punishment because of the perception of the national situation. I think that’s going to look very different in the next 12 to 36 months. What goes around comes around. It’s not that long ago the Conservatives had three councillors.”

Overall turnout in Southampton was 36.6 per cent, up on the last time the seats were contested in 2007, when it was 30.3 per cent.

The Shirley ward had the highest turnout, 46 per cent, while Bargate was the lowest, on 22 per cent.

Turnout in last year's general election in Southampton was 59 per cent.