TODAY’S annual general meeting of Swindon Council is tipped to be the most interesting in years.

Normally the AGM, to be held at the Civic Offices at 2.30pm, is a ceremonial meeting to welcome the new councillors and select the cabinet, council leader, mayor and deputy mayor.

However, this year looks to be more political because the ruling Conservative group had its healthy majority slashed to just one councillor at the local elections this month.

This means the Tories will have to ensure all their members turn up – and block vote – to guarantee any given proposal is either backed or defeated.

This meeting will be the first test of the Tories’ majority, with a motion tabled against the Haboakus plans to build nearly 250 homes in Gorse Hill.

Labour has submitted a motion, backed by the Lib Dems, asking the council to agree ‘it does not support the disposal of public land at Pickards Small Field and Kembrey Grass Field and wishes this land to remain as open space’.

Council leader Rod Bluh is talking to the other parties for a compromise amendment on this motion, where the council would conduct further community consultation on Haboakus.

This AGM is also unusual because Swindon will have a different deputy mayor than originally planned.

Eric Shaw, who previously represented Wroughton and Chiseldon, was deputy mayor elect but he lost his seat to the Lib Dems when he stood in the new Wroughton and Wichelstowe ward.

Now Nick Martin (Con, Shaw), who has 26 years’ experience as a councillor and was the cabinet member for Streetsmart and parks, has put his name forward as a replacement.

He understands he is un-opposed and the opposition groups will vote for him to be deputy mayor for 2012/13. In Swindon, the deputy mayor normally becomes the mayor the following year.

Coun Martin said: “I have been a cabinet member for a lot of years. I have been a councillor an immense number of years and I was uncertain as to putting up when Eric did.

“But when he failed to get re-elected I reconsidered the situation and decided I would enjoy doing the mayoral job and thought it would be sensible to take the opportunity of doing it when there was no chance of losing at an election.”

The new mayor for 2012/13 is set to be Coun Mick Bray (Con, Lydiard and Freshbrook), the current deputy mayor.

The posts of mayor and deputy mayor are going to be particularly important, because the mayor has the casting vote in a tie and the next local election will not be held for two years.

Coun Martin has resigned from the cabinet in order to put his name forward. This creates a second vacancy under the current cabinet structure.

Peter Greenhalgh, whose cabinet portfolio included strategic planning and transport, decided not to stand at the local elections.