MONDAY'S first full council meeting of the municipal year was at times a heated affair as the chairmen of various overview and scrutiny committees and regulatory committees were elected.

A proposition by the Conservatives that the overview and scrutiny system be overhauled and "refocused" was defeated by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who argued the scrutiny system already included the remits the Tories were calling for.

Meanwhile the council decided that for the first time, members of the powerful executive committee would be given portfolios and responsibility for specific policy areas.

A working group of all parties will decide in the coming months how the new posts will work but Labour leader David Cartwright cautioned that giving portfolio holders too much power would not be in the interests of democracy.

Meanwhile, the new members of the executive will be Conservatives Gavin Smithers, Pat Wilson, Ken Kenny, Brandon Clayton and Jack Field, Labour's David Cartwright, Phil Mould and Andrew Fry and Lib Dems Diane Thomas and David Gee.

This month's local elections gave the Tories 14 seats, Labour 10 and the Lib Dems five, with no party having an overall majority to take full control.

Conservative Kieth Boyd-Carpenter has been sworn in as the new mayor and in a move that upset the Tories, Lib Dem Cyril Springall was voted in as deputy mayor.

Mr Boyd-Carpenter's nominated charity for the year will be Redditch Victim Support.

Outgoing mayor Steve Wheeler raised more than £4,000 for the Citizens Advice Bureau during his term.