PROTESTS, scuffles, a blogger shouting slogans through a loud hailer, egg pelting, leadership spats, and a car chase all added to a febrile atmosphere inside and outside Oldbury Council House for last night's Sandwell Council meeting.

The meeting and following mayor making ball is the civic highlight of the calendar in Sandwell but it took place amid the backdrop of a bitter Labour leadership election and the publication of the explosive Wragge Report into corruption in the authority.

Before the meeting protesters including blogger The Sandwell Skidder Julian Sanders and members of UKIP gathered to barrack councillors who entered the meeting.

Shouting "Hussain Out" they confronted Cllr Mahboob Hussain whose conduct has been criticised in the Wragge Report.

Inside the packed meeting the new Mayor of Sandwell Cradley Heath and Old Hill Councillor Julie Webb was formally invested.

She said: "I will do everything I can to promote Sandwell as a great place to live and work.

"The people are salt of the earth and I am proud to have lived here all my life."

Mayor Webb announced she had chosen Sandwell Parents of Disabled Children and Sandwell Carers as her official charities.

Outgoing mayor, Cllr Barbara Price, lamented the two major incidents of her tenure - the Tunisia terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of council employees and the death of former leader Cllr Darren Cooper.

New Deputy Mayor Oldbury Cllr Susan Downing was also officially appointed and thanked fellow Oldbury Cllr Hussain for nominating her.

After the ceremonial mayor-making the meeting switched to official council business and within a blink of an eye defeated Labour leadership candidate Cllr Yvonne Davies took to the mic to say she did not recognise the legitimacy of Cllr Eling's victory on Monday night.

When the vote came to nominate the new leader of the council Cllr Davies was the only councillor to vote against with 12 abstentions.

Cllr Eling then announced his new cabinet which does not include Cllr Davies or Cllr Maria Crompton but does see a return for Cradley Heath and Old Hill Cllr Ann Shackleton and a first time berth for Blackheath Cllr Kerrie Carmichael.

The councillors were greeted by protesters as they left the council house, many of whom were demanding donations to the foodbank and complaining about the taxpayer-funded mayor-making ball at West Bromwich Town Hall.

Blogger Julian Sanders shouted about the corruption scandal which has engulfed the council through a loud hailer despite several efforts being made to stop him.

After running the gauntlet new cabinet member Cllr Shackleton said with a smile: "It is nice to have a guard of honour for once."

A few minutes later the protesters were pelted with eggs.

As UKIP's Ric Keeling and Cllr Philip Garrett left the protest they claimed they were chased down the road by two brand new BMWs.

Cllr Garrett said: "It was a bit hairy and certainly something I do not expect when I was elected a councillor in Sandwell, then again a lot of what has happened in the last two years I did not expect to happen."