“THE proof of the pudding will be in the eating,” was the new Alliance Group's response to Conservative leader Steve Hasting's pledge to collaboratively engage with the new administration.

Cllr Hastings said this week he would appoint members of a shadow cabinet and wouldn't oppose policy for the sake of it, and has previously said the Conservatives would be 'robust and powerful' in opposition.

Today, leader of the council and of the Alliance Group, Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox, said: “The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

“We have inherited a situation where the previous Conservative council operated its own form of lockdown in terms of access to cabinet members and information so it is perhaps not surprising that we are somewhat sceptical about the content of Cllr Hastings' statement.

“On the evening of our victory we changed the previous system operated under the former leader, ex-Cllr Dave Stewart, whereby the administration was in charge of scrutiny, and effectively ‘marking their own homework’ and have done this as a first step in restoring transparency and enabling the council to restore its credibility.

"We will be going on to review the many other obstructive polices and practices the previous administration imposed on this council, although they will remain in place for now out of necessity, as there are other more urgent reviews to be conducted first.

"While we, as a new administration, have to prove ourselves in office, it is also very much for the Conservatives to prove if they can change their spots. We and the public will be watching their behaviour closely."

Cllr Peacey-Wilcox said it was up to Cllr Hastings to decide how to structure his shadow cabinet, but this would not entitle his councillors to any greater access to information.

She said: "He and his team will have the same level of access to information and the cabinet that the Conservatives deemed fit and appropriate as an administration.

"The immediate action of the Alliance Group to revert scrutiny back to opposition, with the support of reverse proportionality, has already gone further than the Conservatives ever did to provide an open and transparent culture.

"We are far more concerned with opening up the council to residents and businesses to enable them to engage with us and inform our policy and decision making.”