Ousted Bradford Council leader John Ryan narrowly lost his bid to make a comeback at last night's Labour Group meeting.

Current Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood beat him in a secret ballot by only five votes at the tense annual general meeting.

He beat Coun Ryan by just four votes in the shock ousting at last year's group elections.

Since then there has been speculation of animosity over the leadership.

A bid by two other councillors to overthrow deputy leader Coun Mohammed Ajeeb also failed. The challenge is understood to have been made by Andy Mudd and Gill Whitfield.

A second bid by Coun John Ryan to become chairman of the Council's powerful regeneration committee also failed and Coun Dave Green was re-elected.

Coun Jim O'Neill is the new chairman of the housing and environment committee after Coun Steve Thomas stepped down for family reasons. Suzanne Rooney was elected unchallenged as education committee chairman after her predecessor Jim Flood lost his seat in last week's Council elections. John Godward is chairman of the social services committee following the defeat of Mike Young in the elections.

Couns Barry Thorne (leisure), Latif Darr (transportation, planning and design) and Ralph Berry (community development) all held their positions. The group's new chief whip is former Lord Mayor Coun Tony Cairns.

After the vote Coun Ryan said: "I am very disappointed. The Council is stagnating and must go ahead with modernisation before the Government steps in to make it."

Coun Greenwood would not comment on the internal workings of the Labour group but added: "I look forward to the challenges of the new year and working forward in a constructive and positive manner."

But a Labour group source said: "The battle is not over and the Council election results were disastrous."

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