THE political tables were turned on Ribble Valley's Tories during an evening which brought shock votes for the mayoralty and also saw them lose control of the council for the first time in 23 years.

As the Liberal Democrats lined up their own two mayors in successive years, lone Labour councillor Bert Jones gave his backing to the opposition party in their bid to take power.

It was a turn around for Councillor Jones as just 12 months ago he voted with the Conservatives to allow them to maintain their control.

But it was a surprise move within the Tory group itself which led to a successful challenge for a Liberal Democrat Deputy Mayor.

In an 11th hour decision, the Conservatives decided not to oppose the traditional move of last year's deputy mayor automatically becoming the new mayor.

But after Councillor Eileen Lowe was voted in unanimously, the Liberal Democrats put forward their own nomination for deputy mayor, opposing the Tory candidate, and won on the new Mayor's casting vote.

The Liberal Democrat victory though left a sour taste in the Tory camp as it was the abstention of Conservative councillor Allan Kay which tipped the vote.

Tory leader Councillor Chris Holtom said: "I feel less than satisfied with the way things have gone tonight.

"I pay tribute to my group which has always been disciplined in the last 12 months - in a balanced council you do need discipline - but tonight has been unexpectedly disappointing."

The Conservatives had said they were going to propose their own candidate, Councillor Charles Warkman, for the mayoralty in opposition to the Deputy Mayor of the last year, Councillor Lowe. This break in tradition had angered the Lib Dem group and lone Labour member Coun Bert Jones.

But when the voting took place at last night's annual council meeting, all hands in the council chamber were raised in unanimous agreement for Coun Lowe to become Mayor.

It was then expected that Coun Warkman would become Deputy Mayor, and even Labour's Bert Jones voted in favour of that, but the Liberal Democrats put forward Coun Jenny Grimes to challenge - and they won.

Councillor Howel Jones, the new council leader, said: "It was always going to be numbers game but tonight's events came as a surprise even to us."

Labour's Bert Jones voted with the Lib Dems in their push for chairmanship of all the council committees and they, in turn, gave him their backing in his quest for a place on the policy committee which had been denied him 12 months ago.

He said: "Last year the Liberal Democrats would not support me and so I voted with the Conservatives on the chairmanship issue. This year they gave me their support and I gave them mine."

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