Winchester Lib-Dems have been accused of passing the buck on planning issues after a drubbing at the polls.

Their rivals say that's why the ruling party has given the high-profile job of chairman of the planning committee to an Independent, veteran Bishop's Waltham councillor, Georgina Busher.

The Lib-Dems claim it is to show that party politics plays no part in planning decisions. But leading Tory and Labour councillors have condemned the move as a cynical attempt to avoid responsibility for difficult decisions.

Planning issues were blamed by Lib-Dem MP, Mark Oaten, for his party's poor performance in the city council elections when their 13-seat majority was slashed to just one and they nearly lost control of the council.

Recent controversies range from infill developments in leafy green suburbs to mobile phone masts and a winter depot for travelling show people near Micheldever.

Conservative councillor, George Hollingbery, said: "It is quite extraordinary. Despite their hammering at the polls, there are still 29 Lib-Dem councillors and they can't find anyone to take on the job.

"You have to wonder why they bother as a party locally if they refuse to take responsibility for running one of the key committees."

His view is shared by Labour group leader, Patrick Davies, who said: "The Lib-Dems are keen to avoid responsibility for anything that is remotely controversial if they can get away with it. It is quite disgraceful. They just want to pass the buck."

One Lib-Dem insider said former vice-chairman of the planning committee, Charlotte Bailey, had been preparing to take up the post after David Atwell stood down.

But party chiefs were afraid of losing another seat at Compton and Otterbourne after Lib-Dem, Peter Mason, lost out to Tory, Murray Macmillan.

Mrs Bailey said it was "completely untrue" to say no Lib-Dems were willing to take up the post or that the party was passing the buck.

She said planning control should not be party political but "semi-judicial" and it was important the public saw it as such.

"Therefore, we felt it was better to invite an Independent to be chairman of planning committee."

Council leader, Sheila Campbell, added: "Party politics should not play any part in planning decision-making.

"The message is simply that development control is not a party political playground, which is what some members have been trying to make it."

She paid tribute to Mrs Busher as "an Independent with gravitas who would take no-nonsense".

The new, enlarged planning committee will have eight Lib-Dems, four Tories, two Labour and two Independents, compared to seven Lib-Dems, three Tories, one Labour and one Independent.

With the new set-up, the Lib-Dems will have no overall majority.

Mrs Busher said she was well aware of the other parties' "agendas, hidden and otherwise".

She said: "I must be mad. It took me two days to make up my mind because it is a poisoned chalice - you can't please everyone all the time. But someone has to do it and I think I have as good as chance as anyone of getting the planning committee back on track. It never used to be political but it has become increasingly so over the last two to three years."