THE new leader of Southampton City Council and the new cabinet members have been appointed.

Cllr Dan Fizthenry has officially been elected as the new leader of the council.

It comes as the Conservatives won control of the city council is this year's elections.

The appointments were announced at the Annual General Meeting held at Southampton O2 Guildhall this afternoon.

It comes as Alex Houghton, 28 and councillor for Peartree ward, has become the new mayor of Southampton and reportedly the youngest mayor the city has ever had.

Meanwhile, long-standing Labour councillor Jacqui Rayment is the new sheriff.

Labour leader stands down 

At the meeting - which was the first in person meeting held at the city council in more than a year - Cllr Fitzhenry also appointed his new cabinet.

Cllr Jeremy Moulton, former leader of the Conservatives and newly elected councillor for Millbrook ward, is the new deputy leader and cabinet member for growth.

He will be responsible for transport and economy.

The other cabinet members are as follows: Cllr John Hannides (finance), Cllr Steve Galton (environment), Cllr Peter Baillie (children’s social care), Cllr James Baillie (education), Cllr Ivan White ( health and adult social care),  Cllr Spiros Vassiliou (communities, culture and heritage), Cllr Rob Harwood (customer service and transformation).

Cllr Fitzhenry said: "It is a pleasure and honour to be elected as leader of the council. I am incredibly excited. I am looking forward to meeting people and understanding their challenges and bringing forward a solution to help people in this city get moving and recover from Covid."

He  confirmed that there are plans to remove the controversial bus lane on Bitterne Road West and freeze council tax next year.

Cllr Houghton, the new mayor, has pledegd to support young people in the city and chose to support local charities SCRATCH and Wave105 Cash for Kids.

He said: "For me it is a real honour and priviledge to be elected as the mayor. It is an opportunity as a younger person to do something different to maybe look at doing things that have not been tried before."

Cllr Rayment, the newly elected sheriff, said she looks forward to representing the city.

Meanwhile, it is understood that a new Labour leader will be elected in the coming weeks.

It comes as former leader Cllr Christopher Hammond has announced he is standing down.

He has been leader of the Labour party and of the council for the past three years.

He will join backbenchers and serve as a councillor for Woolston, a ward he represented for the past eight years.