The four-strong Liberal Democrat group, more attuned to exercising power through coalition, gave it a day and a half before Lord Tope turned down the invitation to head the authority's fire and civil defence committee - seen by some as the equivalent of being paper clips monitor.

BBC: Mayor Ken's big tent

Some 240 tonnes of food spoils during transit and in storage every year, but using mobile to track trucks and monitor the temperature of storage facilities could save enough food to feed 40 million people in 2017 - equivalent to the entire population of Kenya - it said.

BBC: Mobile data to overtake voice by 2018 predicts GSMA