Leadership talks under way at hung council

Peterborough City Council is yet to confirm a leader following Thursday's local elections

A city's political leaders are meeting to determine who will run the council after the local elections.

Two of the largest parties on Peterborough City Council - the Labour group and Peterborough First could come together to form the administration.

The council remains in a position with no single party in overall control following Thursday’s elections, where 23 of the authority's 60 seats were up for grabs.

A leader will be chosen in the coming days and the structure of any coalition, power sharing deal or supply and confidence agreement between parties hashed out.

Peterborough First councillor Mohammed Farooq (centre) has been leading the council as a minority administration since November

Mohammed Farooq of Peterborough First, who has led the council since November following defections from the Conservatives and the ousting of Wayne Fitzgerald as council leader, said the business of deciding who will head the council had begun.

Peterborough First, a group of mostly ex-Conservative councillors led by Chris Harper, is in a strong position going into the negotiations with 14 elected members at the 60-seat council.

It makes it the second largest party behind Labour, which gained five seats and now has 19.

"My group seems ecstatic; we had an 100% return [of councillors seeking re-election]," Mr Farooq told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Labour leader Dennis Jones called the party's gains on 2 May a "victory for fairness and common sense"

Labour's group leader Dennis Jones has previously ruled out leading a multi-party coalition and suggested a partnership with just one other group, such as Peterborough First, was likely to be the most sensible course of action.

On election night, Mr Jones said he would step up to lead the council if called to do so, but has no "personal lust for glory".

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats increased in size from a group of eight to nine, while the Greens doubled their number of councillors – from two to four.

The Conservative group, which had led the council for more than 20 years until November, lost half of its seats and is now a group of 11.

Mr Fitzgerald, who remains the party's group leader, said on election night that he was "happy to take some backseat time" in opposition.