An historic first meeting of the newly elected Wiltshire Council took place at County Hall in Trowbridge today, with Jane Scott being elected as leader.

The meeting which included a leadership challenge and the appointment of the new cabinet, had an 'exciting atmosphere' about it, according to Cllr Scott.

She said: “It is a great honour to have been chosen to lead the new council and I thought the meeting went extremely well.

"There seemed to be a lot of excitement at the meeting and I think there is a lot to look forward too.

“We have some big challenges ahead, and I hope I can work together with my fellow members to tackle them.

“Some of the main priorities we will work on over the coming months and years include waste and recycling, leisure facilities and highways.

"Underpinning these will be the promise we made to keep council tax low and to deliver high-quality services.

"To do this we need to maximise the efficiencies of being one council, and work with our partners in the public, voluntary and private sectors to deliver improved services."

Cllr Scott added: “I also want to ensure we operate in an honest and transparent way, which will encourage people to get actively involved in local decision-making through the new area boards.”

Cllr John Thomson was named as deputy leader with responsibility for adult care, communities and libraries, while Cllr John Brady is the cabinet member for economic development, planning and housing.

Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe is the member for finance, performance and risk, while Cllr Lionel Grundy is representing children’s services, including schools, children and families, and youth.

Cllr Keith Humphries is the cabinet member for health and wellbeing, including health, community services, public protection, licensing and emergency planning, while Cllr John Noeken is the member for BMP, ICT, HR, procurement and customer services.

Cllr Toby Sturgis is the cabinet member for waste, property and environment, while former North Wiltshire District Council leader Dick Tonge is in charge of highways and transport, including car parking and rights of way.

Cllr Stuart Wheeler is the member for leisure, sport and culture, including heritage, museums and arts.

At the meeting, Cllr Trevor Carbin (Lib Dem) was put forward as a candidate for council leader but lost the vote.