While the Conservatives' success at last week's election has established the party as comfortably the largest on Brighton and Hove City Council, this does not guarantee the Tories a smooth ride.

The previous four years have shown a hung council can lead to tough negotiations and knife-edge decisions on key policies.

Yesterday, Labour ruled out a traffic-light coalition but much is still to play for. Lawrence Marzouk looks at whether the election results will lead to policy gridlock or a political consensus.

THE jubilation and heartbreak of the May 3 election has quickly given way to some serious horse-trading.

With no party claiming overall control of Brighton and Hove City Council for the second election running, the mechanics of how it will operate still need to be hammered out - but an outline of what the future holds is emerging.

The past four years, under a hung Labour-led administration, revealed the most controversial decisions to face the city were never going to be easy to pass.

The King Alfred redevelopment came within a whisker of being kicked out at two separate meetings, the secondary school admission changes were also set to be defeated before last-minute changes to the committee, and park-and-ride, seen as one of the most important transport improvements to the city, was dumped, in part, because Labour could not convince the other parties of its merits.

So with a series of crucial decisions set for the next four years, will the newly formed council have the clout to get things done?

A new site for the park-and-ride scheme, a review of the secondary school admission policy and bringing council housing up to scratch are just three thorny issues that must be grasped but could prove intractable on a hung council.

The first hurdle to overcome is what form the administration will take when the votes are cast at the annual general meeting on May 24.

The announcement yesterday that Labour would not do a deal with the Greens and Lib Dems ruled out a coalition of Left-leaning parties, which, with 27 seats, would have given them control of the council.

The Greens and Lib Dems appeared more open to co-operation but at a Labour Party meeting on Tuesday night, its remaining 13 councillors voted to go it alone.

Acting Labour leader Gill Mitchell said: "The voters have delivered their verdict and we respect that.

"It would be entirely wrong for Labour now to try to cling to power by doing deals with the other opposition parties.

"Labour still has a clear vision for the city and we will be a tough opposition, fighting any cuts to services and protecting critical groups."

Labour's decision almost guarantees the Tories will lead the administration - but they remain two seats away from an overall majority and in need of co-operation from other parties to push through their agenda.

Labour and the Greens have already ruled out working with the Tories and, while the Lib Dems and Independent councillor Jayne Bennett have yet to preclude officially a coalition, it would be a surprise if they acquiesced.

An agreement on a Lib Dem and Conservative coalition is unlikely.

Formal co-operation from the Conservatives' former colleague Councillor Bennett would also be a surprise given she was elected on a staunchly independent mandate.

So, while the Conservatives look set to run the council, without an overall majority they will always be at risk of having their policies kicked out by the other three parties.

Brian Oxley confirmed yesterday he had been re-elected as leader of the group, with Vanessa Brown and Mary Mears as deputy leaders.

He said: "We were the clear winner on seats and votes at the election and we are working towards taking on the administration.

"The council worked perfectly well for the past four years and we have got more seats than the last Labour administration.

"The situation is as it was in previous councils - Labour had to work with other parties and that situation will continue."

Councillor Keith Taylor, Green convener, said he could not comment on the trajectory his party was taking as they had not voted on the issue but added: "The Tories seem to want to turn Brighton and Hove into a giant car park.

"The key thing I find difficult with the Tories is the pledge to keep council tax increases below the rate of inflation but they have not told us what services they will cut.

"We at the Greens have at least been honest and said we are going to have a very difficult budget over the next three years.

"There are some frankly regressive views in the Tories manifesto."

Councillor Mitchell said transport and cuts to services were her party's main concern.

She said: "There will be areas where we can work with the opposition parties but we do not want to hinder the smooth running of the council."

Lib Dem Paul Elgood said: "We will work on an issue-by-issue basis, as we have done before."

The Greens will have 30 seats on committees, Labour 33, Conservatives 66, Lib Dems five and Independents two.

This means even on the most important committees, such as policy and resources and environment, the three Left-wing parties may be able to defeat the Tories.

Despite common ground between the three opposition parties, the Lib Dems and Greens regularly voted against Labour policies and there is nothing to suggest the new set-up will lead to more synchronisation.

Nonetheless, it could be a chaotic time ahead for the city's politics.

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