ALL THREE political leaders on Blackburn council are fighting for their seats in the May 2 elections.

Labour council leader Coun Malcolm Doherty, Conservative leader Coun Don Heatlie-Jackson and Liberal Democrat leader Coun Paul Browne are standing for re-election.

The ruling Labour group is bidding for an even bigger majority. It currently has a 24-strong majority on the 60-seat council, and is fielding candidates in all 21 seats being contested.

Liberal Democrats have candidates in each ward, but Conservatives are not contesting eight seats traditionally regarded as Labour strongholds, and the Green party is fielding three candidates.

Coun Doherty is contesting the Mill Hill seat he has held for the past 15 years, and Coun Heatlie-Jackson faces a challenge in his Darwen Earcroft ward, where electors have returned Labour candidates for the last two years.

Three of his Tory colleagues will battle to hold on to seats in wards where Labour candidates have been returned over the last two years.

Conservative Arthur Hutchinson, Brownhill Coun Rene Greaves and, Marsh House Coun Fred Slater all hope to change the trend towards Labour.

Coun Browne is contesting Darwen Sudell ward where he last year lost to Labour's Derek Brindle.

The following month, he regained a Sudell seat in a by-election after the resignation of Liberal Democrat John Morgan.

Liberal Democrat Coun Karimeh Foster hopes to hold her Whitehall seat. The loss of two Liberal Democrats in this election would spell disaster for the group which currently has three councillors.

The line-up (*denotes sitting councillor) is:

Bank Top: Christine Cramsie (Ind Lab); Beverley Heeds (Lib Dem); Mohammad Khan (Lab)*; Ismail Patel (Ind Lab).

Billinge: Robin Field (Green); Michael Lee (Con); Paul Mason (Lab); Lynda Vernon (Lib Dem).

Brookhouse: Habib Ali (Con); Alan Dean (Lib Dem); Mohammed Khaliq (Lab)*.

Brownhill: Celia Ball (Green); Renee Greaves (Con)*; Ann Knott (Lib Dem); Abdul Patel (Lab).

Cathedral: Michael Kirkham (Lib Dem); William Taylor (Lab)*.

Earcroft Donald Heatlie-Jackson (Con)*; Robert Marsden (Lib Dem); Harold White (Lab).

Ewood (two vacancies); John Milburn (Lab); Florence Oldfield (Lab)*; Alan Vernon (Lib Dem); Michael Walker (Green).

Greenbank: Dorothy Greenwood (Lab); Stephen Simpson (Lib Dem); Higher Croft: John Bury (Lab)*; Paul Edmondson (Lib Dem).

Marsh House: Amanda Donnolly (Lib Dem); Devena Paterson (Lab); Fred Slater (Con)*.

Mill Hill: Malcolm Doherty (Lab)*; Bernard Gavin (Con); Michael Hamill (Lib Dem).

Moorgate: Arthur Hutchinson (Con)*; Anthony Kirby (Lib Dem); Maureen Rishton (Lab).

Pleckgate: Ian Forrest (Con)*; Marelene Kirkham (Lib Dem); Gillian Mason (Lab).

Queen's Park: Helmy Fakhry (Lib Dem); Stephen Greenwood (Lab).

Revidge: Wilfred Cubley (Lib Dem); Nazir Hussain (Lab); Maureen McGarvey (Con).

Shadsworth: James Blackburn (Lab)*; Samuel Hughes (Con); Alan Knott (Lib Dem).

Sudell: Paul Browne (Lib Dem); Nigel Nuttall (Lab).

Sunnyhurst: David Fenton (Con); David Hollings (Lab); Christopher Thayne (Lib Dem).

West Rural: Edna Arnold (Con)*; Kevin Connor (Lib Dem); William Lambe (Lab).

Whitehall: Karimeh Foster (Lib Dem)*; Geoffrey Mottram (Con); Gordon Waddicor (Lab).

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