Conservatives on South Oxfordshire District Council have failed in a bid to change the council's constitution.

Rodney Mann proposed a motion for an overview committee to be set up to tackle matters of policy.

Policy development panels (PDPs) and task groups were mushrooming out of control under the existing system, he said. Either the scrutiny committee or a new overview committee had to take charge to increase efficiency.

But Liberal Democrat and Labour members said the system had been in place for less than a year, since the adoption of a cabinet structure, and it was too early to condemn them. They had proved useful in dealing with issues such as the Local Plan, they argued.

Council leader Jan Morgan told Thursday's meeting it was important to involve as many councillors as possible in decisions.

"At the moment, 39 members have a place on PDPs by right," she said. "If we have an overview committee, it would be only 13."

The Conservatives' proposal was defeated by a narrow margin.