A crunch Cumbria County Council meeting is tomorrow predicted to see the installation of a minority Labour led ruling cabinet.

Despite the Conservatives winning 37 seats at the local election – 11 more than their nearest rivals – the Tories will be excluded from power by a Labour-Lib Dem coalition, bolstered by at least one independent councillor.

To govern effectively on the 84-seat council, any county council administration needs support from 43 councillors.

Labour are the second biggest party, with 26 seats. So with support from the Lib Dems, who won 16 seats and one independent, Labour will today continue their control of the authority with Carlisle-based Stewart Young keeping his job as leader.

Councillor James Airey, who leads the Conservatives on the Council, criticised the coalition arrangement, saying that his party won a clear mandate to govern in the May local election.

“We got 44 per cent of the vote – the largest by far,” he said.

“Yet we're being held from power by two groups which even when you combine their votes didn't get as many. We had a clear mandate.

"Because we were six seats short of an overall majority I tried to work with the other two groups.

“My perfect option was a Conservative led administration with a rainbow cabinet, with representatives from both Labour and the Lib Dems.


James Airey "The deputy leader of the council would have come from one of those two groups.

“What they've done is absolutely undemocratic. Stewart Young is clinging to power by his fingernails. Frankly, I think what they're setting up is unworkable.

"We'll be snapping at their heels all the way, though we'll not try to stall every bit of business.”

Mr Airey refuted suggestions that the situation in Cumbria echoed Theresa May's £1 billion deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland – a case of her "buying” her majority, say critics.

“At the end of the day,” he said, “Theresa May got the biggest vote share. We won the election on a Conservative manifesto here in Cumbria. What I wanted to do was work with the Government to bring investment to Cumbria.

“That will now be more difficult now.”

But Stewart Young hit back, saying that the Conservatives have done similar deals to retain power following two previous county council elections.

"They've done it twice," he said. “James is obviously disappointed but if he could have done a deal he would.

"The Liberal Democrats hold the balance of power and James has just fought a general election against Tim Farron, reducing his majority to 777. We certainly haven't paid £1 billion to secure our deal as the Conservatives did nationally.”

Commenting on Theresa May's deal with the DUP, Mr Young added: “It's outrageous.

"Northern Ireland has been given £1 billion for its roads, its schools and its hospitals – all the things we have pleading with the government to fund in Cumbria for the last seven years.

“I'm not a lawyer, but there are people who think that this deal is in breach of the Good Friday Agreement [securing peace in Northern Ireland].”

Mr Young said an early general election – without Theresa May at the head of the Conservative Party – was now inevitable. The council will confirm the make up of its ruling cabinet at a meeting in Kendal today.