Politicians' power row 'resolved'

The row began after the local elections last month

Councillors are back in charge at Wirral Council after a deal was reached over the balance of political power.

Council officers have been running the authority for two weeks, after disagreements over leadership.

Problems begun when none of the political groups on the council was able to secure an overall majority in local elections at the beginning of May.

The temporary deal for three parties to share power was reached on Tuesday night.

The position will be looked at again after a month.

The deal was brokered by a Conservative Leader Jeff Green, who said the decision ultimately came down to the public.

Public impact

He said: "We can't force anyone to do anything - all we can do is put forward the arguments and let them think about the impact their decisions were having on the public.

"I don't think it was us who made them change their position - I think it was the people of Wirral who said 'we are not prepared to put up with all this nonsense at the council'."

The deal is that Labour will have 5 seats of the authority's cabinet, the Conservatives will have 3 and the Liberal Democrats, 2.

The authority had been facing government intervention over its failed attempts to reach agreement.