A BAG of fish and chips and a glass of wine was enough to celebrate a historic election victory for Tory leader Kay Cutts.

Despite receiving three bottles of champagne as gifts to toast winning control of County Hall, the councillor for Radcliffe-on-Trent was too exhausted after four weeks campaigning for any big celebration.

But yesterday wearing a beaming smile and with a spring in her step, Coun Cutts looked every bit at home in the leader's office for her first day in power.

And the grandmother-of-four from Normanton-on-the-Wolds wasted little time with small talk and self congratulation.

"It is down to work," said Coun Cutts.

"This is a serious job. I am feeling serious."

The Conservatives won 35 seats in the June 4 election to clinch overall control of Notts County Council.

Labour were mauled, losing 22 seats and returning just 13.

The Liberal Democrats nearly doubled their seats to nine, Mansfield Independent Forum won six, UKIP one, and three independents were elected.

Coun Cutts began her political career in 1972 when she was became a parish councillor.

The mother-of-three joined the county council in 1989.

Her Tory group entered the election this year with a controversial manifesto pledge to pull the council's funding for the proposed tram-line extensions to Chilwell via Beeston and Clifton via Wilford.

And, after winning power, Coun Cutts was keen to make her position clear.

"I will never support lines two and three as they have been promoted," she told the Post.

"It is damaging to people's homes and environment, inflexible and probably unaffordable.

"The position we have always taken since 2001 is if somebody comes back with a dedicated rail and a proper business case that is affordable then we will consider it.

"But not when it goes through people's homes and gardens and ruins their towns."

When asked what her thoughts were to businesses opposing her party's stance, she said: "Since the city council has said that they will pay for their share by a workplace parking levy, .I know of plenty of businesses looking to move out of the city centre.

"I think it [the levy] is a huge detriment. But I am not trying to represent the city council."

She said running the tram on roads as planned would do little to relieve congestion in Greater Nottingham.

When asked what she thought to the millions of pounds already invested in the tram extensions now potentially being wasted, she replied: "I have never been convinced that throwing good money after bad was a good thing to do."

Parts of the existing proposed tram route which Tories object to include Chilwell High Road, Beeston Town Centre and "quiet residential streets where elderly people live".

They also oppose the demolition of Neville Sadler Court, a sheltered housing scheme for older people in Beeston.

Coun Cutts said election victories in the Chilwell and Beeston South and Attenborough wards supported her party's stance.

The Tories say they are in favour of investing in public transport and prefer buses because they are more flexible.

Coun Cutts' vision for the county's future also includes freezing the county council's part of the council tax bill. She is also keen to maintain county roads – and has pledged to spend £60m on them over the next four years, based on "efficiencies".

On the subject of the tram, Coun Jane Urquhart, portfolio holder for transport at the city council, said: "It is reasonable for county council residents to foot some of the bill. Their share is less than the city share. The argument that lots of people in the county will not benefit is narrow minded and short sighted. Overall there are widespread benefits."

Coun Urquhart said the city was looking into how to go ahead without the county .

She said: "In principle the legal position is that the Government has granted us the powers to do phase two of the tram. We can do that jointly [with the county council] or individually. We have the legal powers to do it. The issue we are currently working on is the finance."

The city council is looking at how it could take on the county's share of the costs and schedule payments as part of a PFI deal that would be affordable.

Coun Urquhart said she was unable to give say the scheme would definitely go ahead without the county county, but it was "more likely than not".

Meanwhile Labour's plans to invest £10m rebuilding Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre and a £11m revamp of Holme Pierrepont will continue.

"We really want to regenerate the county," said Coun Cutts. "The best way to do that is to expand the tourism industry, to give people good reason to come here."

But she added that Labour's planned £19m investment in Extra Care would be "reviewed".

"We want to make sure that people are cared for," she said.

"I am unclear as to what the £19m will pay for. It seems to me it was a knee-jerk reaction by the Labour group because they wanted to pull down five older people's homes.

"This is going to be a business administration that does not do things on a whim and look at whether we can afford it or not."