LOCAL elections are our chance to show how we want East Lancashire's town halls to be run.

Traffic control, street cleaning, planning applications, housing, leisure services and public health may not sound exciting but daily decisions made by our district councils affect all of our lives.

For this reason alone it is vital that everyone goes out tomorrow and uses their right to vote - a right democrats fought long and hard to win.

Considerable efforts have been made by Blackburn with Darwen Council to emphasise this point and they deserve praise.

This year in one part of East Lancashire, however, there is a lot more at stake.

Burnley is the focus of national attention as the only borough where the British National Party are fielding a full slate of election candidates.

We have said before (and Lord Clarke made the point in his post-riot report) that there is bigotry on both sides of the ethnic divide in Burnley in significant proportions.

There have also been communication problems between those in power and the people they serve. These must be addressed.

But, and it's a big but, the answer to Burnley's many social problems is not to cede power to an organisation like the BNP which uses loaded, deliberately divisive slogans like "Keep Britain British."

The ethos needs to be one where all parts of the community work together. That is the key to the sort of prosperous future everyone in the borough wants.

The BNP will do nothing to deliver economic solutions to the town's problems or encourage harmony - their message inspires hatred.

Please make sure you vote tomorrow and vote for a party which is pledged to uphold the principles of democracy and apply them to everyone.

Because if the BNP do win seats, it will be a sad day for the borough and send a negative message about Burnley to the rest of the country.