A newly-elected council leader has already made changes in the way his borough will be run.

Stuart Jeffery of the Green Party was voted in as the leader of Maidstone council at its annual meeting in the Town Hall on Saturday.

But he has only been elected with the support of the Lib Dem group and Independent members after an inconclusive election result at the start of the month that left no party with an overall majority.

Cllr Jeffery was the only nomination for the post but Cllr Claudine Russell, leader of the Conservative group that has just lost power in Maidstone, called for a named vote.

The result was 34 in favour of Cllr Jeffery, with the 13 Conservative members and one independent member, Cllr Fay Gooch, voting against, and one abstention from Cllr Patrick Coates of the Fant and Oakwood Independents.

Cllr Jeffery immediately announced he was naming an eight-member cabinet to run the council, with a change in portfolios and duties.

That is an increase of two over the previous six-strong cabinet under the Conservatives.

The cabinet will comprise Cllr Jeffery and one other Green Party member, two Independents from his Green and Independent Alliance group, and four Lib Dems.

Cllr Clive English, leader of the Lib Dem group, will be the deputy leader.

Cllr Jeffery announced: “We are going to do things differently and we are going to do different things.

“We are going to focus on sustainability and making lives better for people.

“My new cabinet contains a broad mix of skills and interests.”

Cllr English (Lib Dem) is to be cabinet member for Environmental Services and Enforcement. He will have responsibility for waste collection, parks and open spaces, flytipping and parking.

Cllr English is one of the most experienced members of the cabinet, having been a councillor for 30 years. He is also a parish councillor on three parish councils: Bearsted, Boxley and Detling.

Cllr Harwood (Lib Dem) will be the cabinet member for Planning Policy and Management.

Known for his strong interest in the environment and nature conservation - Cllr Harwood is chairman of the River Len Local Nature Reserve - he has been a councillor for 35 years.

His duties will include the Local Plan Review, planning enforcement, biodiversity net gain and conservation areas and local nature reserves.

Cllr Naghi (Lib Dem) will be the new member for Community Cohesion and Safety.

Known for his chairmanship of the Maidstone River Festival and his commitment to Armed Forces support groups, Cllr Naghi has been a councillor for 22 years, and his son Mark has just joined him in the council chamber at the last election.

Cllr Naghi will be the Lib Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate for the Maidstone and Malling constituency at the next general election.

His duties will include responsibility for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Outreach, parish charters, community grants and emergency planning.

Cllr Wales will be the new cabinet member for Housing and Homelessness.

He is one of two newly-elected councillors who skip the back-benches and move straight into a cabinet seat.

But although Cllr Wales has only just been elected to Maidstone council, he does have more than 12 years’ experience as a councillor in the London Borough of Sutton, including a spell as Sutton’s deputy leader.

Among his responsibilities will be delivering a social housing programme, finding new Gypsy sites, reducing rough sleeping and finding housing for refugees.

Cllr Cox (Ind) will be the cabinet member for Corporate Resources. She is the other councillor to join the council straight in a cabinet position.

She will be responsible for the running of the council - its finances, IT systems, assets and staff policy.

Cllr Thompson (Green) has been a councillor for only a year.

He will be cabinet member for Healthier Stronger Communities, with responsibility for arts and leisure and public health. That includes the Maidstone Museum, Hazlitt Theatre and the Lockmeadow Complex, air quality and environmental health.

Cllr Jones (Ind) will be the new cabinet member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery.

Also a councillor, for only a year, her responsibilities will include climate change adaption, flood risk alleviation and day-to-day delivery on the council’s biodiversity plan.

Along with their new responsibilities will come new financial compensation.

Each of councillors will receive the basic allowance of £6,047 a year.

In addition, they will receive a cabinet member payment of £12, 094, except for Cllr English who will get a deputy leader’s allowance of £14,513, and Cllr Jeffery, who will receive the leader’s allowance of £24,188.