VOTERS will elect councillors and Euro MPs by post this summer.

The decision was finally made after a game of political ping-pong between the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the scale of postal voting trials.

It means that polling stations will be scrapped for the June 10 local and European elections and people will instead cast their vote by mail.

Peers in the Lords who were once against extending the trial to the North-west, finally voted for it -- at the sixth attempt.

Leaflets will shortly be sent to people across the borough explaining the postal voting system and how it works.

MP Andy Burnham campaigned tirelessly to have a postal vote in the region. Last week he raised the issue in Prime Minister's Question Time.

The Leigh MP is delighted that the postal vote issue has now been resolved.

He told the Journal: "In the North-west we have had some of the lowest election turnout figures in the country. People who work, have children or the elderly have sometimes missed out on the opportunity to vote.

"Postal votes has been shown to boost participation in elections and this decision is a positive step forward."