THE balance of power at Lancaster City Council faces a major shake-up following the retirement of a leading Tory councillor. This week Vera Kirkby, stepped down as councillor of Arkholme, a post she has held for the last ten years, due to ill health. Her resignation leaves a question mark hanging over which party will become the leading opposition group on the Labour-run council.

Until now the Conservatives held a majority of one over the next biggest group, the Independents. But they will contest their former seat with the Independents snapping at their heels.

Cllr Geoff Wilson, speaking on behalf of the Independents, said they would make a formidable opposition, especially in light of recent fiascos over council allowances and the town clerk debacle.

He said: "The Independents are a group of like minded people who will make a proper opposition. We will be asking questions where they need to be asked as well as supporting the Labour group when they are putting through the right policies."

The local Conservative secretary Keith Roach admitted Mrs Kirkby's position will be hard to fill. He said: "Vera Kirkby will be sorely missed by the Conservative Party and by the residents of the Arkholme seat for whom she fought so hard."

The Tory majority began to ebb away earlier in the year when Diane Huddleston was dismissed from the council after failing to attend council meetings for six months. Now, the Conservatives, led by Geoff Hannah, say they will be pulling out all the stops to win the Arkholme by-election on October 9.

The new deputy leader of the Conservatives, Terry Evans, said they were confident of retaining the seat. Their candidate is James Airey, a farmer from Whittington.

But the political waters could be be muddied even further now that candidates are also being sought to fill two wards recently vacated by Lancaster and Morecambe's new MPs Hilton Dawson and Geraldine Smith. By-elections for the former Labour held seats of Alexandra and Skerton West wards will be on October 9.

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