ANNE Western walked into the headquarters of Derbyshire County Council as its new leader – and said "wow".
It was not in response to the rapturous applause that met her arrival, it was in response to the tally of Labour seats being displayed on a large screen.
"Forty-one", it read – with two seats still to be declared. Ten minutes later, those two seats also went to Labour.
It was a landslide victory from a party that started the day with 23 of the council's 64 seats.
The Tories crashed from 31 to 18, meaning they lost control of the authority. Two cabinet members lost their seats.
It was also a bad day for the Lib Dems, who lost four of their seven seats – with the party's leader Steve Flitter losing his Matlock seat to Labour.
And UKIP – which claimed it would win the election in Derbyshire – ended up winning no seats.
Mrs Western said Labour's win was "emphatic".
She said: "It's a great result. We were hoping for a majority but 43 seats is beyond our expectations. It tells us something about the mood of people in Derbyshire.
"It's excellent we've got such a large majority. I'd like to thank the people of Derbyshire for their faith in Labour. We will not let them down."
While Labour's win was comfortable, its reign for the next four years at County Hall, Matlock, won't be.
Around £130 million of cuts are on the way – and Mrs Western said she was under no illusions as to the task that lies ahead.
She said: "We have got a big challenge on our hands. But we've got a team of councillors that is the right mix. We've got experienced councillors and new councillors that have youth and energy.
"What comes across from listening to people is they are not unrealistic. They know cuts have to be made at the council because of the Government's cuts. People in Derbyshire are not asking for the earth – they just want to be listened to and consulted. If we can do that better than what the Tories have done over the past four years, then I think we will do well."
She added: "There is clearly a lot of anger and dissatisfaction with the Conservatives and more than anything, we need to change the culture at the authority. We need to reinstate the sense of purpose that the council exists to serve the needs of people."
Andrew Lewer, leader of the Conservative group, said: "The council has been Labour-controlled after eight of the last nine elections, so the result is more of a disappointment than a surprise.
"I want to pay tribute to my Conservative colleagues for their hard work and loyalty over the last four years and thank all those voters who stuck with us at these elections."
UKIP's Alan Graves admitted he was disappointed with the result.
He said: "I'm disappointed we haven't got any seats but not disappointed in that we got 25% of the vote.
"What should have happened is we should now have 25% of the seats but, the way it panned out, we got a lot of second and third places.
"I have a lot of concerns for the county council under the rule of Labour. Council tax will be high and the green belt will be developed. It's going to affect a lot of people."
Among those congratulating Derbyshire Labour group was Derby North MP Chris Williamson.
The Labour politician said: "I'm absolutely delighted. People have come back home to Labour.
"A combination of factors have led to this win. Labour put forward a positive manifesto for Derbyshire which has resonated with the people.
"And there's the poor performance of the Conservatives on the county council."
The turnout was 35% – down 3% from 2009.
MORE: Read the full results, coverage and analysis of the county council elections here.