Complex sentence: Prior to the direct administration, there were a majority of independent councillors, though members did not generally divide along party lines organised into five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates.
Split into simpler sentences: Prior to the direct administration, there were a majority of independent councillors, though members did not generally divide along party lines. There are five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates.