THE sudden resignation of James Alexander last night means York is now seeking a new council leader, just six months before the next elections.

So what happens now?

The onus is firstly on Labour to choose their new leader. The party has 21 councillors, although eight of those have announced they will not stand again in May.

Anyone seeking to stand as leader must be nominated and seconded, and there will then be an election among the 21 Labour councillors.

After that, Labour's leader must be approved by a majority of the whole council on Decedmber 11. Because the council is hung, this is not a foregone conclusion, but both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have said they respect Labour's mandate to form the ruling administration.

They will be reluctant to veto Labour's choice as leader, however if they do so and no new leader is approved, then the council's deputy leader (Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing) assumes the powers of the leader until a new leader is appointed. If the vacuum continues for any significant length of time, incumbent leader James Alexander and chief executive Kersten England have the right to use emergency powers for any urgent matters.