THE only opposition councillor on Sandwell Council, UKIP's Phillip Garrett, could have a major say in picking the next council leader.

If Labour fail to elect a leader tonight (Monday) at the third time of asking, the first meeting was suspended and the second ended in a dead heat, then councillors will be legally required to pick a new leader at full council tomorrow (Tuesday).

Normally it would be a formality but if Labour's leadership is not concluded then a named vote (unlike the secret ballot in a Labour group election) will be held during full council.

Labour has 71 seats on Sandwell Council and UKIP has one, 70 Labour councillors are eligible to vote in the group leadership election because Oldbury cllr Mahboob Hussain is suspended from the party.

However, cllr Hussain and UKIP cllr Garrett will have a vote in full council Princes End Cllr Phillip Garrett said: "I never thought as the only opposition councillor on a council of 72 members that I would ever have a say in who the leader will be.

"I thought it would be a case of being on the outside of the circus ring looking in, so it will be fun to be ringmaster for one night."

He added: "It may seem unlikely that it comes down to a full council vote but Labour have tried to elect their leader twice before and failed so it could easily happen again.

"But you could put everything that has happened in the last week into a soap opera, the Labour group is falling apart and the taxpayers of Sandwell deserve better.

"And to hear Cllr Pete Hughes who is running the election to say that the media and everyone else should keep out of internal Labour business really annoyed me, they are electing the next leader of the council who will control the budget which is taxpayer's money.

Friday's leadership election between acting leader cllr Steve Eling, who wanted the Wragge Report published, and cabinet member for adult services cllr Yvonne Davies, who did not want the report published, ended with both getting 34 votes, with one spoiled ballot.

Over the weekend Cllr Garrett, who was elected in 2014, read both the Wragge Report and the accompanying James Goudie QC's report.

He said: "The Wragge Report made for very uncomfortable reading and I cannot believe that anyone elected as leader would do anything but follow the recommendations and get Cllr Hussain before the standards committee as quickly as possible.

"I would like to think every Sandwell councillor read both reports but I have my doubts as many seem to have their head in the sand."

"I will take my voting duty very seriously but if it comes down to two candidates and one of which is someone who did not want the Wragge Report published then it is obvious who I will vote for."

Cllr Garrett has been inspired by former Langley independent socialist councillor Mick Davies who discovered the first evidence of wrongdoing which sparked the investigation that led to the explosive Wragge Report.

He said: "From everything I have heard about Cllr Davies he is a very impressive man and it just shows what one councillor, no matter how outnumbered they are, can do.

"I will certainly try and keep the new leadership to account."