LIVE: Labour and Lib Dems in showdown vote for control of Stockport council

Stockport council will hold a crunch meeting tonight to decide who will run the town hall for the next year. Two weeks after the local elections again left the authority under ‘no overall control’, it comes down to whether Labour’s Coun Elise Wilson or Lib Dem Coun Mark Hunter will emerge victorious from the showdown vote.

The winning candidate will have the right to form the administration that will take charge of the council for the coming municipal year. Coun Wilson’s decision to stand caused some controversy, given the Lib Dems came out of the elections with 28 councillors - three more than Labour who remained static on 25.

But the result was still not enough to give them an overall majority on the 63-seat council - meaning the issue is now in the lap of the Tories, Greens and Heald Green Independent Ratepayers.

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The Tories are less influential than last year - when they backed Labour to continue at the helm despite having one fewer councillor than the Lib Dems - having been reduced to five councillors following the election results.

The Greens now have two councillors, following consecutive victories over Labour in Reddish South. But how they and the three-strong ratepayers group will vote this evening remains to be seen.

We'll bring you the latest updates from the full council meeting at Stockport Town Hall via Local Democracy Service reporter Nick Statham in the live blog below.

Good evening everyone! It's been a gorgeous day with the sunshine warming our skins, but are things going to turn chilly at Stockport town hall?

The council meeting this evening will determine who will run the administration for the next twelve months: Labour’s Coun Elise Wilson or Lib Dem Coun Mark Hunter.

Our reporter Nick