The deputy leader of Wolverhampton City Council has blamed an “immense protest vote” against the Government for his party’s fall from power.

The group lost a 12-seat majority and overall control of the authority after Wolverhampton followed national trends and posted the worst set of election results for the party in decades.

Councillor Peter Bilson, who held on to his Bushbury South and Low Hill seat by just 232 votes, said: “My overall reaction is disappointment, obviously the results are bad for us and we may even find ourselves in opposition now.

“I am pleased to have held on to my seat, but it hasn’t been good for the Labour group and I think national issues have had a lot to do with the way the votes have gone in Wolverhampton. We have had to cope with what looks like an immense protest vote against the Government, the scale of which has been unprecedented.”