RESIDENTS in Bromsgrove and the surrounding areas go to the polls tomorrow (Thursday) to elect a new district council.

The 52 polling stations will be open from 8am to 9pm.

A total of 69 candidates are standing for the 36 district council seats, however in two new wards, St John's and Linthurst, the Conservative are unopposed.

Due to a major revision of ward boundaries, the first since 1977, several changes have taken place.

Some wards have vanished while others have been redrawn or now appear under different names in an attempt to equalise the number of voters represented by councillors throughout the district.

Some wards, which previously had three seats, now have two or one. Alvechurch however, will return three councillors as previously.

A district council spokesman said 4,500 postal votes had been issued for the election.

The present make up of Bromsgrove District Council is Conservative 27, Labour seven, Wythall Ratepayers and Residents Association three and Independents two.

Parish council elections are also taking place on Thursday but only in three wards in Bromsgrove. They are both wards of Lickey End and in one ward at Alvechurch.

In two parishes, Dodford with Grafton and Cofton Hackett, new election dates have be set for June because of insufficient nominations having been received to contest the seats tomorrow.

Candidates in those two parishes will have to get their nomination papers to the council by noon on Thursday, May 8.

Meanwhile, the successful candidates for the district in the Woodvale and Hillside wards will be seconded onto the parish councils to enable them to function until after the new elections.