The selection of Chelmsford's next mayor - to serve from May 1999 to May 2000 - looks set to prove controversial.

The Liberal Democrat group, which runs the borough council with a large majority, presented current deputy mayor, Cllr Mike Mackrory, to a council meeting last week as the mayor for the coming year. In addition to being Millennium Year 1999 will also celebrate Chelmsford's 800th anniversary.

Conservatives immediately claimed this was against the spirit of council standing orders and that no selection could be made until after the council election in May.

The dispute has arisen because the current mayor, Cllr Bill Lane, is also a Liberal Democrat. For the past 18 years it has been the practice to allocate the mayoralty on an alternating basis, with all parties serving a term.

The Tory group has provided one mayor during the four-year term of the current council.

Conservative councillor Christopher Kingsley stressed that there was no personal objection to Cllr Mackrory. But, he said, the move to retain the mayoralty by the present ruling group was "high-handed."

A meeting of party group leaders after the last election in 1995 had agreed the allocation of the mayoralty over a four-year period - two Liberal Democrats, one Conservative, and one Labour mayor, he said.

The fifth civic year, which will start after the early May election, was not included in the agreement, he said.

"Things may change drastically after the election,'' he said.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Philip Harvey, said: "Every year in January, whether or not there is an election coming up, there has been a nomination for mayor. You should have someone in place before the annual meeting in May."

Since the early 1980s the mayoralty had been allocated on a basis proportionate to the election results, he added.

As the Liberal Democrat group representation on the council was more than twice the size of the next group - the Conservatives - it made sense to have the mayoralty these two years in succession.

He said in 1995 the Conservative group had nominated the next mayor, Cllr Alan Willsher, to serve after the election.

Last year's mayor, Labour councillor Bill Horslen, commented: "I think the group leaders should get together and consider whether there should be a standstill until after elections."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.