THE people appointed to the new-look district council cabinet are bracing themselves for a tough time ahead, but have vowed to stand firm in the face of a wounded opposition.

The extent of the Lib Dem, Labour and Independent alliance was clear to see with councillors from all three parties represented in a cabinet unveiled by leader Sarah Content.

In a meeting with the Wiltshire Times on Monday, cabinet portfolio holders showed a united front as they spoke of their priorities for the coming year.

Finance portfolio holder Trevor Carbin said there would be no high-spending projects as he battles to balance the tightest budget in years.

Housing portfolio holder Tom James said a decision on whether the council should enter into a deal to provide 500 affordable houses was on a knife edge, while planning chief Jeff Osborn said re-igniting the Vision for Trowbridge was one of his main priorities.

Leader Cllr Content said her cabinet was a mixture of experience and new faces and accepted they were in for a rough ride.

"I would imagine it would be a bit contentious because of what happened and that feelings are running high amongst the Conservative party," she said.

"I believe we showed ourselves to be more than able to manage the situation that the Tories tried to place us in."

Asked about her decision to offer the chiarmanship of the powerful scrutiny committee to Conservative Cllr Tony Phillips, the man she ousted, Cllr Content said: "I am given to understand Tony Phillips has accepted the post and I am absolutely delighted. It is a very important role in the authority.

"Obviously I consider Cllr Phillips to have the ability and experience to run this very crucial committee.

"The whole point of scrutiny is bringing into question executive decisions. That is democracy. What happened on Wednesday was democracy. You can't have your cake and eat it. If you have an effective scrutiny you will be questioned."

The new administration takes over a council £280,000 in the black, but finance chief Cllr Carbin said the situation was complex.

"It is not as simple as being in the black," he said. You can add up the figures in different ways. It is not terribly healthy if you look at the budget in detail."

Cllr Carbin said he would be advising his colleagues to avoid high-spending projects, and do his best to avoid hiking council tax next year.

"We don't want to increase the council tax but deliver the services. There is a point that this becomes impossible," he said.

Cllr Osborn said the threatened Brook Hall in Heywood, the Vision for Trowbridge and addressing the lack of recreation grounds were among his main priorities.

Cllr Terry Chivers, who has taken over the community portfolio, said he wanted to tackle problems facing the rural villages.

The new cabinet team

Leader: Sarah Content (Lib Dem)

Deputy leader: Gordon Cox (Lab)

Finance: Trevor Carbin (Lib Dem)

Community: Terry Chivers (Lib Dem)

Housing: Tom James (Lib Dem)

Planning: Jeff Osborn (Lib Dem)

Policy: Duncan Hames (Lib Dem)

Environmental health: Rosemary Brown (Lib Dem)

Communications: John Syme (West Wiltshire Ind)