COALITION crunch talks are set to take place after election losses for the Tories left Oxfordshire county council hung.

Thursday’s elections have left the Conservatives with 31 seats out of 63, one short of a working majority.

Labour won 15 seats, including six in previously Conservative areas, while the Liberal Democrats made gains in Abingdon and Sutton Courtenay and the Greens took two divisions in Oxford.

Before the election and boundary changes the Conservatives held 52 seats, the Lib Dems held 10, Labour had nine, the Greens two and independents one.

With only one seat needed for a working majority, any political group, or even a solitary independent, could forge a coalition.

The newly-elected independents could become kingmakers after they won in Benson and Cholsey, Didcot Ladygrove, Bicester West and in Wallingford, where Lynda Atkins was re-elected. Only the Green Party councillors have so far ruled it out.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth, who comfortably held onto his seat in Woodstock, said discussions would be held between all parties about the future governance at County Hall.

He said: “We have a group meeting today where we have to decide who is going to be leader of the group and if I’m given the opportunity of continuing to lead the group I will be talking to the other groups about our options.

“One of the main things we need to make sure is that we have stability.”

He did not rule out a working relationship with any of the other parties.

Labour group leader Liz Brighouse, buoyed by her party’s success, also said she would not rule anything out before speaking to new councillors.

She said: “We feel we’ve done very well against the Tories and we will be meeting over the weekend to look at the situation. I would imagine the Tories will be considering joining with the Lib Dems as they have nationally and as they have done in Oxfordshire in the past.”

Labour’s gains mean the party will almost certainly become the official opposition, with the Lib Dems relegated to third party position.

Lib Dem group leader Zoe Patrick said: “Obviously being the official opposition is something I have done for seven years and it will be different but as far as our group is concerned we will still be holding the county council to task.

“We have not met as a new group yet and we will all be considering it over the next day or so. We always work with people but I would rather wait until we have met to say what we will do.

“It will be a group decision.”

Independent councillor Lynda Atkins, who was elected for a third-term representing Wallingford, said she didn’t know if the independents elected on Thursday would form a group, or whether any of them would support the Conservatives.

She said: “I have no idea. It’s not something I’ve really thought about. I had no idea it would end up this way.”

Newly-elected Green councillor David Williams, who is the leader of his party’s group on the city council, ruled out working with the Tories.

He said: “Point-blank we will not involve ourselves with any coalition with the Tories. Their policies are a total anathema.”