Hot issues will decide who are election victors

ACCRINGTON town centre, health and the police look set to be among key battleground issues for this May’s local elections.

Eleven Hyndburn council seats will be up for grabs as voters head to the polls on Thursday, May 3.

Elections will take place in Clayton-le-Moors, Huncoat, Immanuel, Milnshaw, Netherton, Overton, Peel, Rishton, Springhill, St Andrews and St Oswalds wards.

The nomination period for candidates will be open from 9am on Wednesday, March 28 and closes at 4pm on Friday, April 6.

Topical issues voters in Hyndburn will be holding their councillors to account on are the development of the town square in Accrington, the allocation of police resources and protecting health provision.

The current leading Labour group will be looking to cement its firm control of the town hall, currently holding 26 seats, to the Conservatives’ seven and UKIP, with one.

Labour group leader Coun Miles Parkinson said: “Labour has more than doubled its membership in Hyndburn over the past two years and we will be fielding a candidate in each of the 11 wards up for election in 2018. Several are already elected councillors, but we also have five well-known members of the community who have asked to stand for Labour.

“The impact of government cuts on Accrington Victoria Hospital, potholes and reductions to the police remain the primary concerns for residents. Hyndburn Labour have also approved huge improvements to waste collections, parks and tackling dog fouling as a result of public comments and developing our employment sites across Hyndburn and these will be implemented in 2018.”

Tory leader Coun Tony Dobson claimed his feed- back from voters on the doorstep was that the current administration had become ‘fixated’ on the town centre development.

He said: “There seems to be a lot of public dissatisfaction with local services at the moment and people are showing a lot of frustration shown around the Town Square project. Why are the people of Hyndburn having to contemplate the closure of Accrington Victoria Hospital, the loss of police officers and putting up with potholes when the Town Square seems to be the most important project of our Labour controlled council?”

The deadline to register to vote in the elections is midnight on April 17. Apply online at gov.uk/ register-to-vote.