Labour and Liberal Democrats seized power from the Tories in a sensational coup at February budget meeting.

Rather then waiting for this week's polls, in a pre-agreed move they ganged up to vote down the Tories' budget claiming they couldn't allow such as savage package of cuts to pass.

When the Tories refused to stand down, leader Alec Samuels was removed from office by a vote of no confidence after just nine months and following 23 years in oppostion. He was replaced by June Bridle.

Labour and Lib Dems shared out the top jobs in a "cabinet of talents" in proportion to their seats, six to four.

Cllr Bridle had only a year earlier claimed the Lib Dems' previous four years in office had been a "disaster for the city", moving backwards from "one calamity to another". But they were now ready to work together for the "stability of the city" in a two-year "convention" signed by both leaders before the meeting.

This was a new animal, Cllr Bridle said, referring the the joint administration as a "two headed-beast".

The pair had offered the Tories a last-minute chance to join the coalition but they declined.

Despite the coalition, Labour and Lib Dems insist they are waging a full-on election battle against each other.