THERE'S been a change at the head of Basingstoke council with the leader and deputy swapping over the two top roles. The new leader, Cllr Rob Donnelly, who up until this week was deputy leader of the council, has taken over from Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Brian Gurden, who now becomes deputy.

It has taken Labour and the Lib-Dems 12 days to sort out the leadership wrangle since the May 1 elections left them with 15 seats each. The rest of the council is made up of 26 Conservative councillors and four Independents.

The joint Labour/Lib-Dem administration will continue and each of the two parties will have four Cabinet positions as before.

"We had a joint meeting between the two groups and decided we wanted to carry on with the joint administration - it seemed a sensible option for Basingstoke and Deane," Cllr Donnelly told The Gazette.

He added: "We discussed who should be leader and deputy leader for the forthcoming year - and this was the outcome. I don't think Brian Gurden has specific reasons for not carrying on as leader. We will continue to work just as effectively as a team - the configuration is not terribly important."

Cllr Donnelly said he and Cllr Gurden had considered each being leader for six months, as they have done previously, but rejected the idea because people found it confusing.

He added that the only Cabinet change was Cllr Tony Jones standing down as Cabinet member for communities and regeneration and being replaced by Labour colleague Cllr David Potter.

Cllr Gurden said that although Labour now has the leadership, the Lib-Dems will have one more committee chairmanship. Lib-Dems will have scrutiny, community overview, development control and licensing committees and Labour members will chair economic overview, environment overview and employment committees.

Asked why he had not continued as leader, Cllr Gurden replied: "I think Rob just fancied a turn at the wheel. And since we work as a team anyway, what's the difference?

"We both have to agree on substantive issues. It is the same team at the helm. It will be business as usual - the same as it has been for eight years."

Cllr Gurden denied that the fact new Labour mayor Cllr Gerry Traynor would have the casting vote in any voting tie had anything to do with the choice of leader.

He said: "In the last eight years, you could count on the fingers of one hand the times the mayor has had to use the casting vote. It is unlikely that the mayor will be called upon to do it this year.

"In the past year the Conservatives have had only 80 per cent attendance at full council meetings, compared with 95 per cent for the Lib-Dems and 93 per cent for Labour.

I don't think there was a single meeting where the Tories were anywhere near full strength - and the Independents don't usually vote with the Conservatives either. I don't think there will be any casting votes."

Veteran Tory councillor Phil Heath complained: "Both Labour and the Lib-Dems have refused to talk to us and have kept things in their own hands. The Labour party had the upper hand because they have the mayoral casting vote. The ridiculous thing is that the Conservatives - the biggest party on the council - was not involved in all this."

Confirmation of the leader and deputy leader and of the joint administration running the borough was due to take place last night.