THE battle for political control of a local authority took a new twist yesterday.

City of York Council's Labour group is fighting a Liberal Democrat motion of no confidence by submitting its own motion of confidence, saying it has a strong record of delivering over the past 18 years in York.

The Liberal Democrats revealed they were not only pressing to remove Labour from power but also to create an all-party executive, comprising four Liberal Democrats, four Labour councillors and one Tory.

Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway said that in a survey by his party, two-thirds of 400 York residents polled backed the motion of no confidence in Labour. Almost 90 per cent supported an all-party administration.

But Tory leader John Galvin, who with his two Conservative colleagues will play a key role in deciding the outcome of next Monday's council meeting, hinted he had no desire to see either the Liberal Democrats seizing control of the council or an all-party executive.

He said he would consult his two colleagues, but nothing had yet persuaded him the Liberal Democrats would do a better job.

The debate over the council's leadership follows a court decision to bail former council leader Rod Hills, who is facing a number of criminal charges, on condition that he stays outside the city's outer ring road.