Duxford museum hosts Cambridgeshire County Council meeting

The council's first in-person meeting for more than a year was overlooked by a vintage aircraft

A council's first in-person meeting for more than a year has been held at a war museum in Cambridgeshire.

More than 70 people gathered at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

Meetings had been held online due to the pandemic but the government has ordered local authorities to hold them in person from this month.

The Independent Group's Derek Giles said: "Acoustically, it was very good - spoiled only by the odd Hurricane or Spitfire flying over."

Mr Giles, the chair of the county council, said taking part in the meeting at Duxford "took quite a bit of getting used to".

The venue was chosen to ensure social distancing.

In April, legal action calling for councils to be allowed to continue online meetings was rejected by the High Court.

Councils are no longer allowed to conduct virtual meetings so need to find venues where people can socially distance

The meeting formally agreed that a new joint administration made up of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and four independents would run the council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The Conservatives lost control of the council in local elections on 6 May, but remain the biggest single party.

Liberal Democrat Lucy Nethsingha, who is the new council leader, said the venue was "somewhat surreal" and its cost was "considerable".

The council said it paid £3,642 to hire the venue and equipment, which it is sharing with South Cambridgeshire District Council.

• Alliance takes control at ex-Tory council

• Conservatives lose control of Cambridgeshire

• Remote council meetings must end, High Court rules

Ms Nethsingha supports the continuation of virtual council meetings, as does the former Conservative council leader Steve Count.

However, Mr Count called the joint administration an "unholy alliance", while committing his group to working collaboratively for Cambridgeshire residents. 

The administration's first acts were to restructure council committee numbers from seven to five, which also cut councillor allowances by £72,000 a year. 

IWM Duxford is Europe's largest air museum.

From left, Independent Tom Sanderson is now chair of the council, Lib Dem Lucy Nethsingha, is its leader and Labour's Elisa Meschini is its deputy leader