THE chair of BCP Council’’s Unity Alliance group says it is now looking to the future with “excitement and trepidation” after losing overall control of the authority.

Conservative group chief Drew Mellor secured the leadership of the council at a vote last week and is due to name his cabinet in the coming days.

This came after he was successful in a vote of no confidence in Liberal Democrat councillor Vikki Slade, which spelled the end of the Unity Alliance’s 16 months in charge.

The chair of the group, which is made up of the Liberal Democrats, Christchurch Independents, Poole People and ALL, Bournemouth Independent & Green and Labour, said the alliance will continue and work together in opposition.

Councillor L-J Evans, chair of the Unity Alliance, said: “We will firstly hand-over to the new administration to ensure the council functions as efficiently as possible in the interim then take time to reflect, regroup and come back even stronger.

“We look forward to seeing how the Conservatives implement our corporate priorities (that were approved by the entire council).

“We shall endeavour to work with the new leadership, but also hold them to account for their decisions, thus ensuring the best possible outcomes for residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

“We look to the future with both excitement and trepidation. We wish Councillor Mellor all the best and eagerly await the full details of his vision and proposals for achieving this.”

Councillor Mellor made an offer to the Christchurch Independents to be part of his administration, however, a spokesperson for the group said this had been been rejected. The spokesperson said the group is focused on campaigning for the town’s residents.

Councillor Evans congratulated Cllr Mellor for securing the leader post but said he had a “very difficult job ahead of him”.

She said while the outcome of Wednesday’s vote was not unexpected, it was still a huge disappointment for those in the Unity Alliance.

“It must be especially difficult for Vikki and the portfolio holders who have gone above and beyond in their roles, discharging their duties with passion and enthusiasm,” said Cllr Evans. “Over the past 16 months we have achieved so much, working hard to harmonise the three legacy local authorities, balancing our budget and coming up with priorities for the future.

“It is frustrating that a time when we should be looking forward and implementing our ambitions for BCP that the Conservative group saw fit to seize power. As a second wave of the pandemic looms and with a no-deal Brexit possible, the last thing the council needs is further uncertainty and instability. Yet we are now left in limbo, waiting for the Tories to get organised into a ‘sure and stable’ administration.”

The Poole People Party councillor added: “As an alliance we welcomed councillors of all political persuasions and none and we were derided for ‘compromising’. It seems we will all be excluded from the new administration and that those from just one party, elected by less than a third of our residents, will be the only voices heard.”