Jubilant Tory leader of Brighton and Hove City Council Tony Janio is set to unveil the party's vision for the city but they are in no rush to seize control of the council.

Mr Janio says they are biding their time despite Labour’s Anne Meadows deciding to cross the floor to give the Tories a slender majority.

Her decision and that of former Labour Council Warren Morgan to quit the Labour Party gives a series of tough decisions to make.

Although the Tories could technically seize control of the council, Mr Janio prefers to play a waiting game and is due to unveil the Conservatives’ alternative budget later on Monday.

He says the party has plans to tackle major problems blighting the city such as homelessness, graffiti, littering and the ongoing Valley Gardens project.

However, he says the party prefers to weigh up its options before challenging the ruling Labour administration.

Mr Janio says the party is more than ready to tackle the city’s problem and added: “For two years I have been trying to find out how the council spends its money to tackle homelessness.

“There are homeless shelters but sometimes it’s like putting a band aid on a wound, and it could come to the point where the patient becomes mummified.

“But we have a different approach. We need to recognise there is a problem and want to analyse what is causing the problem. I don’t think the Labour administration understands the dynamics of what is causing homelessness.

“One good thing that is happening is that tackling homelessness will be under a single committee so this can improve efficiency.

“For the i360, we are where we are. I think wanting the i360 to collapse is just fruitless. We have put various amendments to the council to help them.”

When asked if the Tories had plans to take over before the local elections, Mr Janio responded: “It’s not about being an opportunist and taking advantage of a situation.

“To say ‘taking control’ is the wrong way to look at it because it’s not about power-grabbing. For us, it’s about doing the right thing and looking at ways to improve the city.

“There will be a meeting and we will be calling a full meeting of the council to see who will become the leader and administration as we move forward.”

Fellow Tory Councillor, Robert Nemeth, who represents Wish ward, said: “Labour pledged in their last manifesto to end rough-sleeping in Brighton and Hove by 2020 yet the number of rough-sleepers in the city has quadrupled under their strategy.

"The release of misleading figures that are now under investigation is sadly what this Labour Administration will be remembered for.

"An alternative approach would see far greater grass-roots involvement and imaginative polices that actually get to the root of the problem.”

Mr Nemeth added how the party can improve the King Alfred Leisure Centre. He said: “It may well be that Hove’s largest ever single-site development scheme falls apart shortly which will be the greatest failure of this Labour Administration.

"If it does, millions of pounds will have been wasted and Hove will still be without a new leisure centre.

"This could have been avoided if the deal had been structured differently. A deposit from the developer should have been taken and penalties put in place for lack of progress.”