A BITTER row broke out at the first meeting of Basingstoke's new council after the Tories were "massacred" by being frozen out of having control of any committees.

Outside the council chamber at Thursday's inaugural meeting of the newly-elected council, Labour councillor Sean Keating said: "It's a massacre of the Tories.

"Last time the Tories had a share of power, they were given some scrutiny committees - but not any more. Basingstoke is now doing what the Conservative-controlled county council does and excluding the opposition."

In the last council, there were Conservative chairmen of the economic and environment over-view and scrutiny committees.

But councillors on the Liberal Democrat/Labour coalition this time voted together against opposition candidates for all three scrutiny committees. The Tories were also voted off as council representatives of outside bodies, and replaced by Labour and Lib-Dem representatives.

Incensed Conservative councillor Harry Robinson said: "This has got to be the most outrageous rape of democracy I have ever seen.

"The coalition is now taking decisions and then scrutinising what they have done themselves. It's outrageous."

However, council leader Brian Gurden insisted that the year-old Cabinet system needed reforming in the way policy was formulated and decisions were scrutinised.

"We will look very carefully at how the council itself works. I really hope we can find ways in which the councillors, independent members and lay members of the public can participate more actively in council meetings."