LABOUR will regain control of Swindon Council tomorrow.

A late bid by the Liberal Democrats to secure a deal with the Conservative group fell through when Tory members last night decided any such relationship was not durable.

Council leader Mike Bawden (Con, Old Town and Lawn) today said they had instead decided to abstain from the vote at tomorrow's annual meeting.

That will mean Labour leader Sue Bates reclaiming her position as council leader, seven months after her group stood down in the wake of the council's damning Ofsted report.

Coun Bawden revealed yesterday that his group had been approached by the Lib Dems with a view to forming a joint cabinet, to stop Labour forming the administration.

But his group met last night and decided not to pursue the idea.

He said: "It was a very difficult decision to make, but the vast majority of my group felt it would not be possible to sustain a relationship with the Liberal Democrats over 12 months.

"We will be abstaining when it comes to the vote tomorrow, not to endorse the Labour group, but to accept the position we are in.

"They have 29 members and we have only 22.

"We did not feel that forming an agreement with the eight Liberal Democrat members would be the best decision for the council.

"It is much better to have a workable administration in place than to score party political points."

Coun Bates (Gorse Hill and Pinehurst) said: "Obviously we need to wait to see tomorrow off first.

"My group has said it would be prepared to have another crack at the administration, but it knows it has got a hard task ahead and that it has got to work closely with the other groups to make it work.

"We do have many challenges but I think you have got to be honest and face up to the difficulties to put right whatever it is that's wrong."

Lib Dem leader Mike Evemy (Eastcott) was disgusted by the Conservatives' decision.

He said: "It is a complete abdication of their responsibility to the council. I don't think their 15,000 voters voted for them to just let Labour in.

"I suspect they believe there's more bad news coming and they don't want to be in control of the council when that happens.

"Therefore I think they have made their decision for political reasons and not for the good of the council.

"I find it quite incredible that Coun Bawden can say it is for the good of the council for Labour to be in charge again when seven months ago it was for the good of the council for that same administration to stand down.

"It is completely wrong and it will not take this council forward."

Coun Bates shook off a challenge for her leadership of the group by John Taylor (Central) last week. Coun Taylor argued to the Labour group in its annual meeting that "no change was not an option", following a tough five years of Swindon as a unitary authority.

He said: "I hope that common sense will prevail in establishing a council leadership that recognises the interests of the people of Swindon must come before party politics.

"Groups have to work together to restore public confidence in a council that has severely lost its public credibility."