THE chairman of the Conservative Party was pitted against an 18-year-old novice as the battle for a council by-election intensified.

Political heavyweight Baroness Sayeeda Warsi went to Hyndburn today to knock on doors and meet party activists ahead of the crucial Baxenden by-election.

Power in Hyndburn is on a knife edge, with 17 Tories, 14 Labour and four independents.

Baroness Warsi was supporting Conservative candidate Terry Hurn in the fight against former Hollins High School student and Labour candidate David Hartley, who is bidding to become one of Britain’s youngest councillors.

She said: “I am all for young people getting involved in democracy."

But voters should focus on Labour’s economic record, she added.

Labour councillor Ciaran Wells, who is running Mr Hartley’s campaign, said: “It says something when they send the Tory Party chairman to fight a by-election in the safest Tory seat in the borough.

‘They must be desperate.”

Also in the race are Bobby Anwar, for the UK Independence Party, and independent Lesley Wolstencroft.

The coalition Government has recently confirmed it plans to axe the multi-million pound Housing Market Renewal scheme, which has been renovating and rebuilding East Lancashire’s crumbling housing stock since 2003.

Baroness Warsi said it was ‘appalling’ that the money spent had not brought more improvement, and claimed councils would be free to spend Government grants on local priorities, including housing, free from ‘Whitehall dictats’.

But critics point out that the amount of money available, around £1.4billion over three years, is considerably less than was given to the axed regional development agencies.