EAST Lancashire is set to go to the polls in just over a month for the local elections — and a referendum on what voting system the country should use.

Voting will take place in every borough council in the area on May 5.

Only Lancashire County Council is not holding elections.

In addition, you will be able to vote in the national referendum which will ask whether the existing first-past-the-post system for electing MPs to Westminster should be replaced with a method known as the alternative vote (AV).

AV sees voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.

Anyone getting more than 50 per cent of first-perference votes is elected.

If no one reaches that level, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers’ second choices are allocated to those remaining.

This process continues until one candidate has 50 per cent of the vote.

The local elections are set to be fiercely contested amid government spending cuts.

Experts nationally have predicted the Liberal Democrats could suffer, while senior Conservatives say it will be ‘challenging’.

Blackburn with darwen

LABOUR will be trying to consolidate its position in charge of Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Two councillors, For Darwen's Trevor Maxfield and Tony Meleady, resigned from the ruling coalition in September, dealing a fatal blow to the administration, allowing Labour to re-seize control.

Coun Maxfield has since joined Labour, giving it 32 of the 64 seats, enough to regain control at an extraordinary council meeting.

The Tories have 19, the Lib Dems nine and For Darwen three, with one independent, Coun Meleady.

This means the coalition that ran the council between 2007 and 2010 could muster a total of 31 seats.

With Labour defending 11 seats, to the Tories' six and Lib Dems' three, the ruling group has a fight on to gain an overall majority.

Council leader Kate Hollern is up for election, as is Michael Lee, the Conservative leader, and Tony Melia, whose For Darwen Party helped unseat Labour four years ago.

HYNDBURN

LABOUR has its eye on Hyndburn Council, which has has been controlled by the Conservatives for 11 years.

Independent mayor Malcolm Pritchard, dubbed the 'kingmaker' in the delicately-balanced political makeup, is fighting to regain his seat in Milnshaw.

A former Labour loyalist, it was his vote that helped the Tories to retain control after the last local elections, in May 2010, left power on a knife edge.

The Tories have 17 seats, Labour 14 and there are four independents as the two main parties look to reach the magic number of 18 to gain an overall majority.

The Tories are defending the most seats, six, compared to Labour's three, which include group leader Miles Parkinson.

Three of the independent councillors are also up for election.

RIBBLE VALLEY

RIBBLE Valley Council only holds local elections every four years, meaning all 40 members are fighting to regain their seats in this Conservative stronghold.

Last week the Liberal Democrats celebrated the 20th anniversary of their famous by-election scalp, when they overturned a huge majority to win Ribble Valley amid a poll tax backlash.

But on May 5 they find themselves defending government policies to improve on their nine councillors.

The Conservatives have 30, with one independent.

Labour will be looking to win at least one seat, having lost its last councillor four years ago.

Despite no local elections in 2010, the task facing opposition parties was underlined when MP Nigel Evans romped home with an increased majority of 14,769.

BURNLEY

LIBERAL Democrats still rule the roost in Burnley and Padiham – even though they are running a minority administration.

Under Coun Charlie Briggs, the party holds 20 out of the borough’s 45 seats. But the next largest party, Labour, has only 15.

Labour will by buoyed by a recent by-election victory, which saw Bea Foster take a seat at Rosegrove with Lowerhouse.

But the Lib Dems and Conservatives, who currently hold five seats, have forged an alliance before to share control.

From a high of nine councillors, the British National Party is down to two but also saw an increased turnout at Rosegrove, beating the Liberal Democrats into third place.

PENDLE

AS Pendle goes to the polls, it remains a wide-open race between the country’s three major political forces.

Liberal Democrats were ousted as the leading party at the last General Election after a number of years in charge, and the Conservatives emerged as frontrunners.

But efforts to form a consensus cabinet, featuring leading lights from both parties and Labour, soon faltered.

Several posts were dished out between Tories and Labour, with Conservative councillor Mike Blomeley (below) at the helm.

Labour walked away from this arrangement last month though.

The three big guns all have more than a dozen councillors and a close contest is expected.

Currently there are 17 Tories, 16 Lib Dems, 13 Labour, two British National Party and one independent member on the council.

ROSSENDALE

CONSERVATIVES have a four-seat advantage in Rossendale and are planning to retain their control over the Valley.

Labour is six seats away from tipping the balance and have recently welcomed several new faces to the fold, including former county councillor Sean Serridge.

But the Conservatives have secured all of Rossendale’s county council seats in recent years and will not be removed without a fight.

Depending on results elsewhere, it could end up with Liberal Democrats or Whitworth’s veteran Community First councillor Alan Neal, becoming the kingmakers.

Chorley

In Conservative-controlled Chorley 15 of the 47 seats are being fought.

The current composition of the council is Conservative (27), Labour (15), Liberal Democrats (3) and Independent Group (2).

There are five wards; Brindle and Hoghton, Wheelton and Withnell, Euxton North, Heath Charnock and Rivington and Pennine where there are no borough elections.

Of the 15 seats up for grabs, ten are currently held by the Tories, four by Labour and one by the Lib/Dems.

Among those seeking re-election is Peter Goldsworthy, the leader of Chorley Council, whose ward is Euxton South.

The nomination deadline for candidates was yesterday and the final day for receipt of postal vote applications is Thursday, April 14.