HYNDBURN'S Tories are promising to fight Labour's stronghold with representatives challenging seats in every ward in local elections on May 2. Coun Britcliffe said: "We have assembled a fine team of candidates, combining energy and experience and providing a very efficient opposition to Labour."

Their manifesto includes setting up committees to run local towns and parks, providing quicker and better repairs to council property and introducing a rolling programme of road and pavement repairs.

Labour aim to build on what they describe as "the low level of confidence in the Tory Party locally" and are fielding Lesley Jackson, the sister of former Labour Party acting leader Margaret Beckett, in Rishton.

A spokesman said: "The Tories have scored a string of embarrassing own goals, such as the debacle in putting forward, then effectively having to sack, their parliamentary candidate."

The main themes of Labour's campaign are to enhance services, run a "tight ship" financially, attract more external funding into the borough through a second Single Regeneration Budget bid and push ahead with its Area Governance Initiative of creating forums for local residents.

Liberal Democrats are in confident mood, aiming to take seats in Baxenden and Milnshaw wards with candidates Les Jones and Malcolm Pritchard. Trevor Whitchelo will replace the Lib Dems' sole member, Councillor Yvonne Stars, as candidate for the Barnfield seat.

Mr Jones said: "All of us live in the wards we are standing in and are committed to sensible policies which benefit local people, even if this means political consensus with other parties. We want to cut the massive Labour majority."

The Lib Dems say their campaign is based on community politics, such as maintaining the quality of local environments.

How the candidates will line up:

BARNFIELD

Barbara Haworth (Lab); Margaret Rose McGilvery (Con); Trevor Whitchelo (Lib Dem)

BAXENDEN

James Dickinson (Con); Leslie Jones (Lib Dem); Joseph Sargison (Lab)

CENTRAL

Stephen George Crooks (Con); *Richard Ellis Heap (Lab)

CHURCH

*Richard David Massey (Lab); Marion Raynor (Con)

CLAYTON-LE-MOORS

*Susan Haworth (Con); Timothy Aidan O'Kane (Lab)

EACHILL

Winifred Lesley Jackson (Lab); Frederick Beck Parkinson (Con)

HUNCOAT

Rennie Pinder (Con); Malcolm Ranger (Lab)

IMMANUEL

Joyce Muriel Beswick (Lab); *Sandra Katherine Hayes (Con)

MILNSHAW

Stanley Horne (Con); Malcolm Eric Pritchard (Lib Dem); John Leslie Wells (Lab)

NETHERTON

*Leslie Goodwin (Lab); Richard John Oakley (Con)

NORDEN

Bessie Hillman (Lab); Anne Scaife (Con); Stephen Henry Scarr (Lab)

OVERTON

Peter Clarke (Con); Mohammed Altafur Rahman (Lab)

PEEL

*Bernard Dawson (Lab); Derek Wolstemholme (Con)

SPRING HILL

Brian Tomlinson (Con); *Clifford Westell (Lab)

ST ANDREW'S

*Peter Britcliffe (Con); John Vincent Tunstall (Lab)

ST OSWALD'S

*Douglas Hayes (Con); Dorothy Westell (Lab) *Denotes sitting councillor seeking re-election

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.