Authority elects new leadership

Ian Croft resigned as leader after a critical report

Lincolnshire County Council has choosen a new leader following the resignation of former chief Ian Croft.

Tory councillor Martin Hill was elected on Thursday, following his victory in a Tory leadership contest.

A new executive board has also been appointed, made up entirely of Tories, despites oppposition parties calling for a cross-party executive.

They say the public can make their minds up at the local elections in May when all seats will be contested.

The entire executive resigned after a highly critical report from the Audit Commission called for wide-ranging reforms at the council.

It said the Tory-led council was "weak" and "unlikely to improve without help".

The report also said weak political leadership at the council was made worse by the denial of the executive that anything was wrong.