The votes are counted, the results are in, and every media outlet in the country would have you believe that a party that took control of no councils in the local elections can claim victory.

Throughout the election and vote tallying on Thursday and Friday, a massively disproportionate amount of coverage was paid to UKIP. Headlines about a "UKIP Surge" plastered newspapers and television spots and Nigel Farage seemed to give every second interview on BBC.

Was the media attention justified? Sure, UKIP's transition from a far-off fringe party to a serious contender with 163 council seats is certainly notable. And yes, such a significant shift in the British voting public's preferences is newsworthy. But the coverage has been exaggerated at best and flat out false at worst.

When all was said and done, UKIP took 17% of the national vote share, a 6% decrease from last year. The way the media was reporting it, however, you would think that UKIP had doubled their vote total. In Bristol, for instance, Labour gained 3 council seats for a total of 31. Conservatives also gained a council seat giving them 15 overall. The Green Party was up 2 to bring them to 6 seats altogether. UKIP won one seat on Bristol City Council. The BBC reported "a massive swing to UKIP in Bristol."

Changes in electoral patterns are newsworthy but not to the extent that they serve to skew the public's impression of the entire result.

At the end of the day Labour won 82 of 164 councils and 2,101 of 4,211 seats. Conservatives won 41 councils and 1,359 seats. The Liberal Democrats took 6 councils and 427 seats. Let's call this election what it was: a win for Labour.