It was the end of an era, drawing 100 years of Labour rule to a close and ushering in County Durham’s first “joint administration”, an alliance of former political rivals.

In the first of a series of features, the leaders of Conservative, Lib Dem and Independent groups tell reporter Gareth Lightfoot how their first six months of power in partnership have shaped up.

IT was a “momentous” change.

Labour lost control of Durham County Council for the first time in 100 years following a loss of seats in May’s election, and an alliance of opposing groups took the reins.

Former political rivals agreed to come together to form a “joint administration” at County Hall.

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Councillor Amanda Hopgood, Liberal Democrat group leader and the first woman to lead the council, says: “I see it as an absolute honour after 100 years of the people of County Durham voting in one way.

“For us to be the people sat around this table at the time that it changes and being given that responsibility is not something I think any of us have taken lightly.

“Why on earth would we not when the opportunity arises step up to the plate and say, yeah, we will be those people that make that difference?

“To have backed off would have been to ignore what the people of the county said.

“What we agreed from day one was it was equal partners and that’s what it had to be for it to work. It had to be a proper partnership agreement.

“Nobody sits in the leader’s room. That’s really important, that we sit together and work together.

“You can’t underestimate what a cultural change will do.

“I don’t care who you are. You cannot do it alone.”

The Northern Echo: Labour lost control of the council for the first time in 100 years

Cllr Richard Bell, Conservative group leader and deputy council leader, says: “We also have an obligation to the people of the county.

“It’s the responsible thing to work together and provide a stable and cohesive administration, and that’s what we’ve done.

“We’re all very experienced councillors. We’ve been here a long time. We’re very pragmatic.”

Cllr Alan Shield, leading the Durham Group, says of the power shift: “I wouldn’t say it was totally unexpected.

“What you see in this organisation is not different from what’s happening in lots of other local authorities, not being controlled by one single party.

“So we aren’t delivering anything other than what other people are already doing.”

But the significance of the moment was not lost on him: “I saw it as a huge opportunity, something which would perhaps never happen in a lifetime.”

He points to communication as a strength of the new leadership: “That level of engagement is open, it’s honest, it’s transparent.”

Cllr John Shuttleworth, leader of the Independent Group, echoes these thoughts: “OK it’s four different groups but we’re all going in the same direction.

“There’s nobody simply overruling people. Everybody’s on the same page.

“There might be a few personality issues but we can talk amongst ourselves, yes have a bit of a debate, and come to a decision for the betterment of the people in the county.”

Recalling the election, he adds: “When we saw the numbers come in, we all just had a chat amongst ourselves and decided we could do a better job if we’d all come together.”

The leaders say the reaction to the new administration has been overwhelmingly positive.

Cllr Shuttleworth adds: “People are absolutely cockahoop to be honest. They see it as refreshing, something new.

“I’ve told them things won’t change overnight, but things will change.”

Cllr Hopgood says: “Still now I get congratulation emails from people.

“They never thought it would happen in their lifetime and they’re just pleased to see the change.

“It is different and it’s new for everybody but I do think we’re working really well.”

TOMORROW: “There are no masters here”

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