THE make-up of the ruling body on Colchester Council has been revealed.

If voted in at the annual council meeting, today, Paul Smith will be the leader of the council and responsible for strategy.

       Scroll down for the full list.

There will be two deputy leaders, Labour’s Tim Young and the Lib Dem’s Annie Feltham.

The cabinet is being created by a coalition between the two parties and the four Independent councillors.

This means there is no representation on it for the Conservatives, even though they with 27 seats, they have the most on the council.

Mr Young said: “The Conservatives have not got enough seats.

“They have alienated every other group and we cannot agree with their agenda.

“We don’t agree with sacking staff and privatising services.

We will put our plan to the electorate and are pretty confident the Conservatives have had their high point.”

He added: “We hope to keep Colchester progressing, defend ourselves from Government cuts and be one of the most innovative councils in the country.

“I am now also deputy to the leader which gives Labour a lot more influence.”

The Conservatives will also miss out on control of any of the council’s committees.

Veteran Conservative councillor Kevin Bentley said: “This coalition, that is lingering on, has no legitimate right to be there.

“We do not have enough to take overall control, but we are by far the largest party.

“There is an overwhelming appetite for the Conservatives to run the council.”

Only a third of the seats were contested this May, but next year the whole council, reconfigured with 51 seats, will be up for election.

Mr Bentley added: “We have one more year of this.

They have no legitimate right to rule and we hope to get overall control in 2016.”

Beverly Davies, deputy leader of the Conservative group on the council, added: “Wewere elated with the election result, but are disappointed with the cabinet.

“The best we can do now is to hold them to account for everything they do.”

The potential cabinet

  • Paul Smith (Lib Dem): Leader and strategy
  • Annie Feltham (Lib Dem): Communities and leisure, and deputy leader
  • Tim Young (Lab): Community safety; licensing and culture and deputy leader
  • Beverley Oxford (Ind): Customers
  • Bill Frame (Lib Dem): Economic growth and planning
  • Tina Bourne (Lab): Housing and public protection
  • Mark Cory (Lib Dem): Resources
  • Dominic Graham (Lib Dem): Street and waste services.