Voters heading to the polls yesterday were making history, as there will be one unitary authority, which will replace Durham County Council and the seven district councils from next April.

Those selected now have a dual role, helping to run the county council and develop the plans for when the two-tier system is replaced by the new power.

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Two councillors were selected for each of the 63 wards throughout the county.

Labour has taken control with an overall majority, winning 67 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 27, Independents with 22 and Conservatives with 10.

In Easington, Labour won 18 seats, Independents four and Liberal Democrats two.

It was the first district of the seven to declare all of its results – with some proving to be a blow to long-standing councillors.

Labour candidate David Taylor-Gooby, who is due to be presented with an award for 20 years' service with District of Easington Council next week, lost out to Liberal Democrat representatives in the Peterlee West ward, coming last out of the four running for the posts.

He said: "Obviously I'm not pleased. I think we have suffered from the national matters. From the doorsteps I got two messages: that people were opposed to the unitary authority and some were not happy about the 10p tax rate."

Fellow Labour member Ed Mason, the leader of Seaham Town Council who was elected to represent the Dawdon ward on the county council in 2006, also failed to clinch a place on the new authority.

Independent Bob Arthur polled the most votes out of the five candidates in the ward, followed by Labour member and existing district and town councillor Charlie Walker.

The set-backs came early in the night for the party as votes from the division were the first to be counted and validated at Peterlee Leisure Centre.

However, many veterans of the party will have a future with the new council.

Coun Albert Nugent, leader of Durham County Council, kept his seat in the Deneside ward in Seaham, with 924 votes, 27 more than fellow Labourman Edward Bell, who will also remain as a representative of the area.

David Boyes, son of the late Roland Boyes who was MP for Houghton and Washington in the 1980s, won a seat in the Easington ward.

Alan Napier, leader of District of Easington Council, will also be part of the new council.

He said: "What we have seen tonight is that the two Labour-controlled authorities – District of Easington and Durham County Council – confidence and trust has been put in them through theses elections."

The turnout was 30.5 per cent, with about 12,000 people casting their vote by post and just over 6,000 visiting polling stations.