The new leader of Greenwich Council was rubber stamped on Wednesday night at the first full meeting since election.

Danny Thorpe, who represents Shooters Hill, was voted to be the leader for the next four years.

Cllr Thorpe was deputy leader in the last administration, and paid tribute to outgoing chief Cllr Denise Hyland in a short speech.

Cllr Thorpe told the meeting: “I am very honoured to be elected to lead this borough. I feel very strongly already in the past few days that we have been in transition.

“Before I introduce the team, who will help me deliver for the whole borough I want to thank Denise, our outgoing leader and my friend. I remember when Denise faced down the far-right in this very chamber and she is an impossible act to follow, one I hope to learn from and to work with going forward.”

The new leadership team at Greenwich Council was also given the go ahead last night, which includes former leader Denise Hyland heading up the portfolio for the economy, skills and apprenticeships.

Thorpe has pledged to remove members of the leadership team, which was also given the green light last night, from the planning committee.

Greenwich had bucked the trend of London councils by having both the leader and deputy sitting on the planning committee.

Chief whip Angela Cornforth will however now sit on the group, which will be made up of 10 labour councillors and two Conservatives.

The Conservative group questioned why the opposition leader had not been appointed to chair the scrutiny committee – a group that holds the decisions made by the council’s top team to account.

Peninsula Cllr Chris Lloyd, Labour,  will instead take the role of chairman, despite Cllr Spencer Drury proposing the Tory leader Matt Hartley would be a better fit.

He said: “It is not a one party state, and I think it is only fair we bear that in mind when appointing chairs to scrutiny panels.

“The whole way these panels are designed is to hold the executive to account. Without disrespect to Cllr Lloyd, it’s about effectiveness.

“We have an opposition, the opposition needs to be able to scrutinise what the executive do.

“I have yet to see Labour councillors turning up and voting against anything going on in this chamber, that shows party loyalty is extremely important. We need to have an opposition councillor in charge of that process.”

The amendment was unanimously rejected by Labour councillors.