The nominations are in and the campaign is under way - Southend Council is now gearing up for one of the most crucial election tests in its history.

On Thursday, May 4, voters will go to the polls to elect candidates to stand in 14 of the authority's 39 seats.

The Lib/Lab alliance, which has held sway in the Civic Centre for six years, will seek to maintain and enhance its one-vote majority in the face of a major Tory offensive.

The Conservatives came within one vote of snatching control of the council last year and support for the Lib Dems dwindled in their traditional strongholds of Leigh and Prittlewell.

The Tories will be looking to seize on this in next month's elections on the platform of "common-sense" politics.

Transport has been named as one of the key planks in the Tory election manifesto - including a commitment to a new outer bypass to ease the town's traffic crisis.

Party leaders also plan to take a more active role in leading Southend forward into the new millennium, supported but not led by paid officials.

For the Lib Dems and Labour, May's local elections will represent a big litmus test of their policies and achievements over the past six years.

The parties' leaders are standing on their record, claiming the town has seen a cash injection of more than £50 million over the lifetime of their pact.

The Golden Mile has benefited from a series of cash injections, too, including the major revamp of the Kursaal and the expansion of Adventure Island.

They say they have strived to boost the coffers of the town's schools while keeping rises in council tax levels to a minimum.

This year, Southend has the second lowest council tax figure in Essex.

Currently the Conservative hold 19 seats, the Lib Dems, 11, and Labour eight. There are 39 seats on the council - a Lib Dem councillor retired a month ago.

Rochford voters set to choose

Candidates have now been announced for the Rochford District Council and Parish elections, which will be held on May 4.

This year's contest looks set to be hotly fought, with a fair spread of candidates from each party fighting over the 13 wards in the district.

On the parish level, Hockley wards are monopolised by the Hockley Residents Association, and even one housewife, Mary Howard, will stand in Rayleigh's Grange ward as an independent.

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