THE count of the votes to elect 57 members of Buckinghamshire County Council began on Friday.

Although polling was Thursday, at the same time as that for Buckinghamshire's MPs, the county council count was left to the following day so that tired tellers could get a bit of well-deserved sleep.

Member numbers on the council are up three on those elected four years ago. And ward boundaries have changed to include some returning two councillors, meaning not everything is as easy to forecast as it has been in previous years.

Candidates have had to go canvassing in areas they do not know. The reactions were not always what was expected, said one councillor after an exhausting day door knocking.

"I shall be glad when this is all over and I can get on with the job," he said, adding cautiously: "If I get back, that is."

But as candidates and their supporters gathered anxiously at counting centres in the four districts of Wycombe, Chiltern, South Bucks and Aylesbury to watch the votes in each ward being sorted and the piles for each candidate rise, there was little likelihood that the overall control of the council would change. It has been staunchly blue since it was formed and remained that way even between 1993 and 1997 when it was the only Conservative county council in the country.

Until Thursday there were 40 Conservatives, nine Lib Dems and five Labour members.

The Conservative group met later on Friday to pick its leader. If re-elected, this is likely to be David Shakespeare. He will then, if the Tories remain in power, go on to lead the council, directing policy and selecting a deputy and up to eight members of his cabinet.

At least 11 members of the old council will not be coming back.

Conservatives Hugh Carey, Crispian Graves, Peter Lawrence and Mark Taylor decided to retire, while Cherry Aston, Jeremy Ryman and Audrey Jones were not reselected.

Trevor Fowler, the Labour group leader and his colleague Brian Stenner are retiring, as is the Lib Dem group leader Pam Crawford.

And in Ryemead, Tylers Green and Loudwater there are three existing councillors standing for two seats. So one of Conservatives, David Shakespeare and Betty Lay, or Labour's Clare Martens will have to go. One difference after Friday is that there should be at least one Asian member.

Conservative mayor of Chesham Mohammed Bhatti was standing and said he wanted to be elected as an individual not as a member of the ethnic minority community.

Among Wycombe's Asian candidates is Labour's Chaudhry Shafique, who said he wanted to be seen as someone who would represent people right across the board and of all communities.

"Having said that it would be good to have diversity of people and cultures at county," he said.

The outgoing county council, which spends more than £1million a day, and uses the bulk of the council tax levied each year, is responsible for roads, education and social services. At its final meeting last Thursday there was very much an "end of school" atmosphere.

Most people had turned up for the final session in fact most people attend most full council meetings most of the time. The attendance rate over the last four years has been 85 per cent, something which pleased deputy leader Bill Chapple no end.

Two of the more outspoken members were absent. Conservative David Meacock was fighting to become an MP in a hopeless battle with Labour up north and Julia Wassell, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Wycombe, an intrepid battler for Wycombe Hospital's maternity and children's services, also had other fish to fry.

In spite of their absence the meeting still went on for most of the day, with much of the morning taken up with expressions of thanks all round and the afternoon with a lengthy argument over constitutional changes.

David Shakespeare said thanks to Cllr Chapple, the chairmen of the scrutiny committees, the retiring chairman, Peter Lawrence, and the leader of the Labour group, Trevor Fowler and the Lib Dem group Pam Crawford. Cllr Shakespeare said whatever the political differences, their dealings had always been done in a civil and businesslike way.

Cllr Crawford was almost as polite.

"You haven't always dealt with us in the way we would have wished, but you have been fair," she said.

"I have been here for 20 years and I have enjoyed it all," she said. "The Lib Dems have been a happy group and I hope we have contributed to the life of the council.

"I hope the next four years will be interesting and that we, as Lib Dems, can make a contribution."

Cllr Fowler, first elected in 1973 but with some enforced absences when he failed to be elected, said he had enjoyed his politics. Although the Labour group was small, he hoped it had made a difference.

He said: "It is time now for reflection. I leave you with your targets, your performance indicators, your strategic documents and your overviews. I shall sit in the garden drinking my half pint of bitter, thinking about you and asking what you are going to do for us older folk."

He added that he wanted to say to all members: "Although we have had differences and it has been difficult to accept some of the things I have said, members have always shown courtesy and friendship."

Cllr Fowler, who is a fine and thoughtful speechmaker, finally confessed that sometimes he had been encouraged to stir things up a bit by the Lord Lieutenant of Bucks, Sir Nigel Mobbs. One of Sir Nigel's duties is to attend meetings of the council, where he looks impressive but has to remain silent.

Another retirer, Conservative Mark Taylor, said the council could expect regular letters from him, signed Disgusted of Bourne End.

Bill Chapple said of Cllr Shakespeare: "He has given this council total commitment. He has shown drive and leadership and a sense of humour. And if you don't have a sense of humour, you can't be taken seriously."

COUNTY COUNCIL RESULTS: Click here for results