Conservatives retain power in Mole Valley

While the Conservatives lost overall control of Mole Valley District Council they still have more seats than anyone else - 18 against 17 for the Lib Dems and five for the Ashtead independents. The council still has a Conservative leader - Cllr James Friend - and a minority Conservative administration. But it sounds pretty shaky. Some of the councillors he proposed for his executive were voted down - they were accused of showing a "lack of transparency" on the Executive during the previous term. Normally this sort of thing would be negotiated before hand but there were various adjournments and the matter was left unresolved.

So the Council executive is being run by just three councillors. Cllr Friend will be busy. I suppose it means efficiency savings in fewer Special Responsibility Allowances.