A COALITION of minority parties has reached agreement to take control of Blackburn with Darwen Council and oust Labour from power for the first time in 21 years.

Conservative and Liberal Democrats have joined forces with a newly formed independent group, formed by six councillors who quit the Labour party days after the local elections

The coalition, led by Tory leader Coun Colin Rigby, is expected to be voted into power at a full council meeting on July 1.

Today the deal was slammed by Labour. Leader Coun Kate Hollern, who was set to take over from Sir Bill Taylor after he lost his seat on June 10, said she was appalled that the six defecting councillors had effectively "strong-armed" the borough.

Sir Bill said: "I am appalled and ashamed at the chaos that the council has been plunged into by the apparent unprincipled avarice of a minority. It is not what our citizens expect or want."

Darwen MP Janet Anderson said: "Thanks to the unprincipled action of six people who have shown themselves to be entirely unworthy of the voters' trust, the people of Blackburn with Darwen now have an assorted ragbag of opportunists running the council."

The three coalition parties declined to comment publicly on the deal or sir Bill's comments today. But privately senior Lib Dem and Tory councillors believe Labour has "created its own mess."

Labour, still reeling from the defections of Mahfooz Hussain, Salim Mulla, Faryad Hussain, Parwaiz Akhtar, Iftakhar Hussain and Yusuf Jan-Virmani, who is likely to lead the new independent group, failed in their attempts to link up with either the LibDem or Tory councillors.

The move means Labour (27 seats) is still the party with most seats but Conservatives (17), Liberal Democrat (12 seats) and independent (six seats) can form the largest working group with 35.

It also means the two seat by-election in Darwen's Earcroft ward next month has become irrelevant in terms of who has control of the council.

Coun Hollern said: "I don't see how this coalition can work. How on earth can Conservative councillors and Asian independents agree on an issue like faith schools?"

Sir Bill Taylor has broken his silence about the defections, which the new independents claim was sparked by a claim that some Asian councillors were to blame for his defeat.

He claims the six defected in a bid to retain their influence on the council and to further their own political ambitions.

It is believed that, under the new coalition, Coun Mahfooz Hussain will head the licensing committee and Salim Mulla will sit on the ruling executive board as head of neighbourhood and housing.

Labour insiders claimed the defections were sparked by the group's decision to remove Coun Hussain from his position as head of education.

Sir Bill said: "I have heard no one, but this minority themselves as a group, level or take the blame for my defeat.

"I would have thought, under Kate Hollern's leadership or mine, it was highly unlikely that Coun Mahfooz Hussain would have retained his education portfolio. There had clearly been a perceived dip in the political management of that vital public service.

"This was recognised by opposition parties as the Evening Telegraph reported calls for him to resign coming from the Conservatives and the Lib Dems.

"When will others come to their senses and return to principles. The electorate will never forget or forgive them for that."

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: "The will of the people of Blackburn was clearly that they wanted a Labour administration."