A MORE 'inclusive' council based on 'consensus' is the way forward according to newly elected council leader, Patrick Molyneux.

At the first formal meeting of the Forest of Dean District Council since the May 5 elections, Cllr Molyneux was formally voted in as council leader.

He inherits a council with no full majority for the former ruling Conservative group and one with a long history of rifts and disputes within the ruling group and its opponents.

As it stands, Cllr Molyneux cannot run the council without tacit support from the Independent group. He also has to accommodate the revived Labour group, which has more than doubled its councillors to 17.

Accepting the post of leader, Cllr Molyneux said: "Now we're not in a majority we do have to work together. We need to be more inclusive. We will allow members to ask questions at cabinet meetings and we will drive decisions for the people in the district we have been elected to serve."

Alongside Cllr Molyneux, Cllr Norman Stephens was elected as chair, taking over from Cllr Marrilyn Smart OBE, and Cllr Jane Horne was elected as vice chair.

The only note of dissension during the meeting revolved around the number of Labour members appointed to committees and other council organisations. Cllr Di Martin, speaking for Labour, argued that the group should have 25 committee members, rather than 24, and that an additional Labour member should be on the influential scrutiny committee.