Can Dumfries and Galloway Council's rainbow coalition work?

Dumfries and Galloway Council has appointed co-leaders in Linda Dorward and Stephen Thompson

They have come together in the name of "mutual trust and understanding".

Four different groups have joined forces to take forward Dumfries and Galloway Council following the recent elections.

SNP and Labour councillors have been appointed co-leaders but they did not have an outright majority on their own.

So they will have to rely on support from an independent group, which will be led by Richard Brodie who was elected on a Lib Dem ticket.

The rainbow alliance essentially amounts to everyone but the Conservatives - the party which secured most seats on the local authority.

It has prompted their leader Gail MacGregor to predict a "very bumpy road" ahead.

However, the parties involved believe they can work together for the good of the region.

Co-leaders Stephen Thompson of the SNP and Labour's Linda Dorward were both recently appointed to head their respective parties on the authority.

In a joint statement with Mr Brodie, they set out their hopes for a consensus approach.

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"This will be a new administration with a new outlook, but shared ambitions and goals for the advantage of Dumfries and Galloway and we are very much looking forward to working together," it said.

"Our partnership will be built on mutual trust and understanding, and we are confident we can work inclusively with all elected members from all groups to the benefit of the region.

"We are engaging in a way that does politics differently and have found a way to agree on what's best for local communities, whilst going forward and seeking consensus on a case-by-case basis, with colleagues.

"Despite our political differences, we will work jointly on what really matters to the people in all our communities across our region."

Lib Dem Richard Brodie leads the independent group on the council

Among its priorities are tackling the cost-of-living crisis, improving education and boosting the local economy.

"We can provide the strong and stable leadership needed to deliver our ambitions and those of the people of Dumfries and Galloway," their statement added.

The alliance has prompted outcry from the frozen-out Conservatives who faced a similar plight after the last elections.

That time around they also had most councillors but were kept out by a Labour-SNP coalition.

An alliance between SNP, Labour, Lib Dem and independent councillors will run the council

In a region which currently boasts two Conservative MPs and MSPs, they have been unable to take council control once more.

One councillor, Jackie McCamon, described it as "anti-democratic" that her party had been "locked out" of the process of forming an administration.

The ruling group will have a tricky balancing act to try to address local issues while not contradicting national party policies.

Even the independents themselves are a very disparate bunch.

Newly-elected David Slater previously stood as a Conservative, Denis Male has represented both the Lib Dems and Conservatives, Willie Scobie was a long-time Labour stalwart - as was Jim Dempster - and Dougie Campbell was an SNP councillor in the previous administration.

It adds up to a mix of views which will take very delicate handling to keep on board for the next few years.

Gail MacGregor has warned of a "bumpy road" ahead for the rainbow coalition

However, new co-leader Ms Dorward - a former prison governor - said she believed they could do things differently by working together using the skills of all councillors - including the Conservative opposition.

"It's important that we recognise that, for local democracy, it's individual issues that are important," she said.

"We believe we have found a way to agree on what's best for local communities, whilst going forward and seeking consensus on a case-by-case basis, with colleagues in the SNP and the independent group, which includes a Liberal Democrat."

Council business resumes in the next few days for the local authority as committee meetings return once more.

That means the first tests for the rainbow coalition's durability are probably not too far away.