Edinburgh City Council to be controlled by Labour

Labour councillor Cammy Day will lead the new council

A Labour minority administration has taken control of Edinburgh City Council.

The group will take over from the SNP, who ran the last administration with Labour support.

May's local election vote saw 19 SNP councillors elected. Thirteen Labour and 12 Lib Dems won seats, as did 10 Greens and nine Tories.

Councillors voted 32 votes to 29 in favour of the Labour group taking control of the local authority.

The move received unanimous backing from the Lib Dems and Tories.

However, two Labour councillors abstained.

• Who has taken control of Scotland's councils?

• SNP finishes as biggest party in council elections

• Scotland's local election results in numbers

Labour councillor Cammy Day, the newly-appointed council leader, said he was confident that a "collaborative approach" would lead to "far more consensual and co-operative decision-making".

Mr Day insisted his new administration had "no deal with any party and no coalition".

'Backroom deal' with Tories

However, SNP group leader Adam McVey said the agreement voted through was a Labour-Lib Dem-Tory coalition.

He went on to add: "Even some of Labour's own councillors can't stomach the backroom deal their party is happily making with the Tories," in a reference to two Labour abstentions.

The SNP had teamed up with the Greens and the two groups had 29 councillors between them, but failed to form an administration.

Tory leader Iain Whyte said: "There are areas where we disagree with the Labour party, but... there is a need for us to work together in this chamber in a way that hasn't been seen for the last five years.

"There's an approach from the SNP in particular and some of their friends in the Greens that smacks of entitlement - entitlement to roles and to rule."

Lib Dem councillor Kevin Lang said: "Where we agree with Labour councillors, we will vote with them. Where we disagree, we will say so and vote accordingly."

Scottish Liberal Democrat councillor Robert Aldridge was also appointed as the new lord provost.

He is the council's longest-serving member with over 30 years' experience.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has previously said he opposed Labour councillors entering formal coalitions with the SNP and the Tories.