AS we approach May s election, control of Colchester Council is teetering on a knife-edge. The town hall is controlled by a coalition of Labour and the Lib Dems, who together hold 24 seats. There are 51 seats in the borough, meaning the coalition is technically a minority administration. The Highwoods Independents were part of what was then called the rainbow alliance , but 18 months ago they packed their bags. Support is now on a vote by vote basis, meaning there are some crunch votes on contentious issues. The Conservative Group are the largest group on the council, holding 21 seats. In May they need to secure an additional five, as well as hold all of their existing ones, to hold an overall majority.