Tory leader proposes Oxfordshire council coalition with Labour

No party won an overall majority to run Oxfordshire County Council

The new leader of Oxfordshire County Council's Conservatives has proposed forming a coalition administration with Labour.

Councillor Eddie Reeves, who was elected leader of the local Tory group on Tuesday, has offered Labour a deal in which the parties would share power.

The move would see Mr Reeves as leader and Labour's Liz Brighouse as deputy.

The offer comes as the Liberal Democrats and Labour held talks over an alliance after last week's election.

In the local elections, no party won the required 32 seats to form a majority, with the Tory group remaining the largest group on the authority with 22 seats after losing nine.

The Lib Dems won 21 and Labour 15, which means an alliance between two of the three parties is required.

Eddie Reeves is the new Oxfordshire Conservative councillors leader

Mr Reeves said the offer on the table to Labour was a 50/50 split cabinet for each party and was based "strictly on policy, given the agreements between our parties during the last term".

The new Tory group leader said a "workable solution" needed to be found for the council and added a Conservative-Labour coalition, with the support of an independent councillor, would be "sustainable" and in the "best interests" of residents.

Mr Reeves said he was "not desperate to be leader of the council", but said the Conservatives and Labour local parties had "more in common" in terms of policies.

Mr Reeves said the two groups agreed on council tax, housing and the transformation of council services policies.

"There is not a massive amount in policy terms that divides us," he said.

Councillors Liz Brighhouse (Labour) and Richard Webber (Lib Dems) have held talks

It is understood the Conservative Party nationally does not oppose local deals with the Labour Party.

However, Labour's National Executive Committee would have to approve any power-sharing agreement.

Liz Brighouse, who leads the Labour group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the party had to "consider everything".

Talks are continuing between the Lib Dems and Labour groups.

Any deal is expected to be made ahead of the council's annual meeting on Tuesday.