THE Conservatives demanded the opportunity to govern in Chester this week after gaining five seats in last week's city council election.

The Tories were the only party celebrating after a tense night when, in the light of recent national scandals, both the Liberal Democrats and Labour lost key seats.

Labour lost Lache Park, Handbridge St Mary's and Elton to the Conservatives who also made gains from the Lib Dems in Upton Grange and Newton St Michael's.

Labour narrowly retained seats in College, City and St Ann's and Boughton.

However, despite a poor set of results for both members of the authority's ruling Labour/Lib Dem coalition, the current alliance is set to remain in place.

The Conservative Group on the council will defiantly be submitting names for each of the 10 cabinet positions at next week's annual council meeting.

But council leader Cllr Paul Roberts (Lib Dem) and Labour group leader Cllr John Price have already made it clear there is no reason why the current structure should change.

Tory group leader Cllr Margaret Parker said: 'The people of Chester have democratically stated they want the Tories to run the city council, yet once again Labour and the Lib Dems show their utter contempt for democracy.'

Leader of the council Cllr Paul Roberts (Lib Dem, Farndon) conceded the Conservatives had a good year but said: 'The Conservatives have no electoral mandate and have been an ineffective opposition who have shown no hint of any ability to run the council.

'In a democratically elected council you need more than half of the seats to be entitled to form an administration. The Conservatives do not have over half the seats.'

Cllr Roberts also highlighted the recent defection of Waverton councillor Jeffrey Clarke from the Lib Dems to the Conservatives as an obvious factor in their share of the seats.

Cllr John Price, leader of the Labour Group, said national issues had hit hard locally.

'Chester is part of a pattern seen across the country, it is in no way a reflection of local work done by us,' he said.

But he stated categorically there was no reason why the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition should not carry on.

'The Tories have shown themselves unfit to run Chester and I see no reason to let them wreck this council which has been officially recognised as 'excellent' by the Audit Commission.

A decision will made on the continuation of the coalition at the annual council meeting on May 17.