READING'S Tory councillors will vote in a new leader on Monday.

The party's Reading Borough Council members will also elect a deputy leader, chairman and whip for their group when they vote - with the nomination process open until tomorrow (Sunday).

It is understood Church ward councillor Tim Harris has been nominated for the leadership and is a firm favourite for the top spot among colleagues, having declared his interest after Cllr Andrew Cumpsty unexpectedly announced he was standing down from the role towards the end of last year.

Peppard councillor, Richard Willis, has been tipped for the deputy position, but when asked by The Chronicle, denied he had been nominated or that he was interested in taking on the role.

Cllr David Stevens, who is collecting the nominations, said on Tuesday it would be unfair to reveal the candidates while they were still to be accepted.

The Reading Conservatives have been involved in bitter in-fighting in recent months, with councillors Jamie Chowdhary, Mark Ralph and Cumpsty defecting from the Reading East branch to Reading West.

In July Cllr Chowdhary was deselected and barred from defending his Peppard seat in May.

The Reading East party was due to vote on terminating Cllr Ralph's membership, after he stood by his ousted colleague, but put its plans hold in November when Conservative HQ ordered an inquiry into the feud.