County's council leader announced

The new authority has 123 councillors who were elected on 4 June

The new leader of Cornwall Council has been announced.

Conservative Alec Robertson, of the Helston North ward, has been appointed as the leader of the county's new unitary authority.

Independent St Columb councillor Pat Harvey will be chairman and Chacewater and Kenwyn Conservative John Dyer will be Vice-chairman.

The cabinet will be made up of five independents and five Conservatives. The councillors were elected on 4 June.

The authority's 123 councillors were appointed to the unitary "super council", which replaced six borough and district authorities and the former county council.

The Conservatives won 50 seats, Lib Dems 38, independents 32 and Mebyon Kernow took three seats.

It has an annual budget of nearly £440m and a staff of more than 22,000, making it the biggest single employer in the area.

Mr Robertson said that the council would be undertaking an independent audit into its current financial position.

He added that its main priority would be investment into front-line services.