The future of Warwickshire County Council's political leadership is still being influenced by the mistrust generated during February's fraught budget.

Conservative councillors have been criticised for backing Reform UK to run the council under the controversial leadership of Cllr George Finch.

The Tories have cited Reform's status as the biggest group in a chamber, the impracticalities of a difficult political split at Shire Hall and the majority of voters plumping for right-leaning parties among the reasons for their stance.

Cllr Finch survived a vote of no confidence in March by just one vote – 27-26 – but has since lost more councillors to Restore Britain amid conduct complaints, rows over staff morale and public jibes such as those that questioned the personal hygiene of Green Party councillors.

Speculation was rife that a fresh vote would be brought to Thursday's full council meeting with Green group leader Cllr Jonathan Chilvers not confirming or denying whether a motion of no confidence had been submitted but pulled out in the build-up to the agenda being published last week.

Conservative group leader Cllr Adrian Warwick refuted allegations that his group was leaving Reform in to be seen to fail.

He argued that "Reform does politics in a different way to the Conservatives" locally and nationally, predicting that the leadership style would likely be "exactly the same" under a different Reform leader but reiterated: "It is up to the public to decide whether that is how they want to see their politics done."

Asked whether the Conservatives would consider talking to other rivals to oust Reform, Cllr Warwick told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that his door was open to all but revealed the legacy of a last-ditch attempt to pass a Liberal Democrat-Green budget seven months ago continues to make him suspicious of the yellow corner's motives.

With no party in outright control, leaders of various groups had thrashed out budget permutations and priorities over a 10-hour slog before the Lib Dems and Greens brought a joint version to the table without showing their hand.

It was rejected, the meeting was adjourned and a Reform-Conservative budget was passed a fortnight later.

"The Conservatives will talk to anyone if it is for the benefit of Warwickshire and someone can make a reasoned, sensible argument as to how something (different to the current Reform-led council) might be built," said Cllr Warwick.

"After what happened at the budget it is going to take a bit of time for trust to be rebuilt between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, though.

"It is unfortunate but the treatment of my party was disrespectful when I had reached out, and my group had reached out, to say that everyone must have something.

"I lost an awful lot of trust during that process. Paperwork was passed around behind our backs to do a deal, a quick attempt to get something through when they thought people (enough councillors) had gone home. I was not happy with that at all, and I was not happy that the discussions I had to secure a cross-party budget had not been held in good faith.

"If other parties want to come to the Conservatives, I have to feel that there is trust. It was thrown back in our faces and if something is going to happen in the future, I have to feel we are a credible partner and not just there to use for votes."

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, leader of Warwickshire's Liberal Democrat group at the time, saw no benefit in opening up old rifts.

"You move on and look forward," he said.

"That was back in February, we're now in September."