THE new broom at Argyll and Bute Council has swept into action - and two of the Helensburgh and Lomond area's newest councillors have been appointed to senior roles.

Mark Irvine (Independent, Lomond North) is the new chair of the authority's Helensburgh and Lomond area committee, with Fiona Howard (Labour, Helensburgh Central) as its vice-chair.

Both councillors were voted into office for the first time at the last local government elections in May 2022.

They are among a range of appointments made at the first regular full council meeting since power changed hands after a cut of the cards on April 4, when what was then known as the Strategic Opposition Partnership seized control from the Argyll, Lomond and Islands Group (TALIG).

Since that meeting the new ruling group, now known as the Administration Partnership, has been joined by Argyll and Bute's five Liberal Democrat councillors, including the Helensburgh and Lomond duo of Graham Hardie (Helensburgh Central) and Paul Kennedy (Helensburgh and Lomond South).

One of those Lib Dems, Robin Currie (Kintyre and the Islands), who was deposed as leader on April 4, was made the new joint depute leader at a full council meeting on Thursday, April 25.

He will share the depute leader's role with Dunoon SNP councillor Audrey Forrest.

Other appointments made at Thursday's meeting included Councillor Jan Brown (SNP, Mid Argyll) as depute provost, with her ward colleague Dougie Philand (Independent) having taken over as Provost at that April 4 meeting.

The four area committees will be chaired as follows.

Bute and Cowal: Cllr Gordon Blair (SNP, Cowal)

Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands: Cllr John Armour (SNP, South Kintyre)

Oban, Lorn and the Isles: Cllr Julie McKenzie (SNP, Oban North and Lorn).

The opposition group, which now comprises Conservative councillors and some independents, proposed Gemma Penfold (Conservative, Helensburgh and Lomond South), Liz McCabe (Independent, Isle of Bute), Alastair Redman (Independent, Kintyre and the Islands) and Amanda Hampsey (Conservative, Oban South and the Isles) for the area chair roles.

But a roll-call vote saw the new administration's nominees win the day 24-11, with one abstention in the form of Cllr Tommy Macpherson (Independent, South Kintyre).

The new council leader, Jim Lynch (SNP, Oban South and the Isles) will chair the authority's powerful policy and resources committee, while Cllr Forrest will be in charge of the community services committee.

The environment, development and infrastructure committee will have Councillor Armour in the chair, while Councillor Kieron Green (Independent, Oban North and Lorn) returns to the chair of the planning, protective services and licensing committee, a position he held before the upheaval earlier this month.

The dramatic changes at the top of the authority were sparked by the previous TALIG administration's decision to impose a 10 per cent council tax increase at the authority's annual budget meeting in February.

But that increase was reversed at a special meeting held on April 15.