ROSSENDALE voters will go to the polls tomorrow with three council seats up for grabs The seats, in the Goodshaw, Irwell and Whitewell Wards, became vacant following the resignation of councillors over the last two months.

Four candidates - one each from the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and BNP parties - will battle it out in each of the three wards.

The resignations reduced the number of Tory seats from 22 to 19 with 12 Labour councillors, one Liberal Democrat and one Independent.

Coun Janet Farquharson, who represented the Irwell Ward, in Bacup, quit the valley last month to return to Scotland where she and her husband Charlie were born.

In July Goodshaw Ward representative Michael Ormerod sparked anger amongst opposition parties when he remained as a councillor even though he and his family had moved to Le Marche, Italy, to run a business.

Following this Michael Ormerod handed in his resignation citing health reasons and Marlene Crosta, of Whitewell Ward also resigned from the council, also citing health reasons.

Judy Bates, Michael Crossley, Benjamin Joseph Dixon and Dorothy Farrington will be standing in Goodshaw.

Kevin Alastair Bryan, Tina Anne Durkin, Jim Pilling and Hazel May Steen will stand in Irwell.

And the candidates for Whitewell are Trisha Dearden, Tim Nutall, Peter Francis Salt and Peter Charles Starkey.

Details of the elections and candidates can be found on Rossendale Council's website on www.rossendale.gov.uk