William Oxley has become chairman of Ryedale District Council

Members were elected to the new posts at a meeting of full council on Thursday.

Despite losing their overall control of the council last month following a series of defections, the Conservatives managed to secure appointments to several top committee posts.

Councillor William Oxley, ward member for Pickering East, took over the chains of office from outgoing chairman Councillor Bob Gardiner.

Following his election to the council in 2015, Cllr Oxley has served as vice-chairman for the past year before now taking on the role of chairman.

Cllr Oxley said: “During my year in office, I will be trying to wave the flag for Ryedale as much as possible. I want to ensure the efforts of local communities and groups are recognised. I am looking forward to getting out and about to meet people and hear about all the good work that is being done across Ryedale.”

His chosen cause for the year is Ryedale Charities Together, a partnership of local charities who deliver a diverse range of services to people living in need in rural locations across the local area. Councillor Robert Wainwright, leader of the Independent group, was unanimously elected as the new vice-chairman.

The new political make-up of the council, with no party in overall control, did mean that a leader of council was deemed unnecessary.

Conservative Cllr Luke Ives said: “Due to recent events we no longer have a group with overall control. I think it will be important that over the next year we work on a bipartisan basis, in the best interests of the district.”

A spokesman for Thirsk and Malton Conservatives said: “Clearly the authority finds itself under no overall control and we hope that members having decided to have no leader or deputy leader of council this will in turn encourage a new spirit among councillors of moving Ryedale forward together as a more united body.”

Cllr Ives was elected chairman of the policy and resources committee, narrowly beating newly-Independent Councillor Linda Cowling. Conservative Councillor Steve Arnold was elected vice-chairman.

The overview and scrutiny committee will now be chaired by Councillor John Clark of the Liberal Party. Vice-chairman will be Conservative Councillor Geoff Acomb.

Cllr Clark nominated Councillor Lindsay Burr to chair the non-political planning committee, but Cllr Burr said: “I’m sorry, but I don’t want that position, thank you.”

Cllr Ives then nominated Councillor Fiona Farnell to the chair, saying: “She’s excellent at keeping the Conservative group organised.”

Cllr Farnell will now chairman of planning with Councillor Michael Cleary as vice- chairman.

Five of the six committee appointments went to Conservative councillors. Councillor Paul Andrews pointed to the support the Conservatives received from the Liberal Party in a number of the elections. He said: “The council now seems to be controlled by an unholy alliance of Conservatives and John Clark’s Liberals.”

After the meeting, there was an extra-ordinary meeting to discuss a motion by Cllr Burr to look into employing specialist fracking consultants to represent the authority in the county council’s so-called mineral and waste planning.

This decision was deferred until after the general election on June 8, with Cllr Ives saying that the issue was a political one.

He said: “For a political motion to be called during a general election campaign is quite questionable.”

Cllr Burr said that when it had been tabled, no general election had been called; in fact it had been ruled out by Theresa May. “It’s such a shame that it’s come to this,” she said.