BATTLE lines are being drawn for next month's Worcestershire County Council elections after 44 candidates put their names forward for the crunch poll in Wyre Forest.

Voters will go the ballot boxes at the same time as the General Election on May 5. The county results will not be announced until the following day.

Fielding candidates for all 10 seats in the Wyre Forest division are the Conservatives and the Labour Party, while other parties include Health Concern (nine), the Liberal Party (five), the Liberal Democrats (five) and the Green Party (three).

Two independents are also among the candidates.

It is set to be an important election for district-based Health Concern.

The party, formed in opposition to the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital, won six out of 11 county seats in 2001, along with the Wyre Forest parliamentary seat taken by Dr Richard Taylor.

Last year, however, the party lost seven seats on Wyre Forest District Council, which followed losses in 2003. The biggest gains went to the Conservatives.

Conservative spokesman, Stephen Clee, said: "Health Concern are finished. There will not be a Health Concern county councillor on May 6 in Wyre Forest. This year is the end of Health Concern."

Mr Clee forecast the Conservatives would win eight seats and the Tory-run county council's recent shake-up of Wyre Forest schools was "not an issue with the majority of people" the party had canvassed.

Health Concern spokesman, Howard Martin, said: "It would be a disaster if the county elections were totally dominated by the Conservatives and we hope to give them a real run for their money."

Mr Martin added he "hadn't a clue" about the election outcome and said Health Concern was "a very well-rounded political party".

There is one fewer seat in Wyre Forest for the coming county council elections following a review of wards by The Boundary Committee for England.

All but two of the present councillors in Wyre Forest will be standing again. Stepping down will be long-serving councillors, Peter Carter (Liberal Democrat) and John Gordon (Health Concern).

The Shuttle/Times and News will be providing readers with its usual in-depth local election coverage when all 44 Wyre Forest candidates give their views in the issue of Thursday, April 28.