Complex sentence: The council has been under the control of a Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition holding a 23 seat majority since 2003, and prior to the 2003 election, the council had been considered a Labour stronghold.
Split into simpler sentences: The council has been under the control of a Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition holding a 23 seat majority since 2003. Prior to the 2003 election, the council had been considered a Labour stronghold.