PARISH council clerk Jean Tillotson became the first Conservative ever to win a district council poll in Williton when she swept to victory in a by-election last week.

Cllr Tillotson defeated Labour candidate Ian Aldridge, who is a serving Williton parish councillor.

She took 219 votes to Mr Aldridge's 120 in a 17.1 per cent electoral turnout.

Cllr Tillotson succeeds former Labour group leader Eddie May - also a parish councillor - who quit the district authority in October after a row over the way it was being run.

Her success consolidated Conservative control of the West Somerset authority.

The Tory group now has 18 of the 31 seats, compared to four for Labour, one Liberal Democrat and eight Independents.

Non-aligned councillors have discussed the establishment of a formal group under the 'leadership' of district cabinet member Cllr Keith Ross.

Formal notification of the new group was expected to be given to council chief executive Colin Rockall shortly.

It would entitle the Independents to three seats on the nine-member cabinet under the Government's political proportionality rules.

At present, the cabinet contains two Independent councillors plus the sole Lib Dem on the authority, Cllr Peter Humber.

Cllr Tillotson's by-election success also left the Labour group on the authority in disarray.

The four members were split 50-50 on continued co-operation with cabinet-style rule.

Labour Cllr Simon Stokes accepted an invitation from Tory leader Cllr Steven Pugsley to join the cabinet and was backed by Cllr Ivor Gibbon.

But the move was opposed by Labour Cllrs David Banks and Keith Turpin, who both declared they would no longer co-operate with Cllrs Stokes and Gibbon.

Mr Aldridge would have had a casting vote in the matter had he won the by-election.