AN AGREEMENT has been reached in the battle for control of Stockton Borough Council.

Despite losing their majority on the council, the presiding Labour group will retain control of the cabinet.

However, Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors will chair six committees in the new authority, which will be formally announced at the annual meeting in Billingham today.

Independent councillors, who won nine seats in Ingleby Barwick and Thornaby in the recent elections, will not take power, but have approved the arrangements.

Following the elections, Labour won 27 seats with opposition groups sharing 29 between them. Initially, a coalition was expected to be formed to take control of the authority from Labour.

However, council leaders said the new power-sharing arrangement had been organised to bring stability to the council, which has been affected by in-fighting in the past.

Conservative group leader Ken Lupton, who has been nominated as chairman of the scrutiny committee, said: "We wanted to get rid of the adversarial and political aspect, which has been there in the past and which has stopped the council being productive.

"The idea is that all the groups will work together for the greater good of the people of the borough."

It is expected that Labour leader Bob Gibson will be nominated again as the leader of the council.

However, opposition groups insisted that their control of the council committees will mean Labour will have to work with all the groups to achieve a consensus.

Councillor Maureen Rigg, chairwoman of the council's Liberal Democrat group, said: "Things here at the council will never be the same again, and rightly so.

"There is a great desire for change in Stockton and we will work together with whomever we need to, to get the best results for our borough.

"The years of one-party rule in Stockton have gone for ever."