[Ken Moss]

We've been canvassing in Rishton for the forthcoming local election for some time now and the overriding thing I am trying to impress on people is to look beyond the badge and separate local politics from national.

Last year I even had people who told me outright that I was the best person for the job saying that they wouldn't be voting for me because they had always voted Conservative. Fortunately, I sneaked in with a slim majority of 151 and am now doing my best to justify the faith of those who voted for me and prove that the right decision was made to those who didn't.

As Marg P has already inferred, many people only see the national picture and a large amount of residents are still unaware that Hyndburn has been Tory-controlled for most of the past 11 years. The Hyndburn Labour group are trying to persuade you to vote for their candidates in May not through empty promises but by simply telling you what the controlling group is actually doing with your money.

When simple things such as a one-off visit by a celebrity chef is still newsworthy after four months and the closure of a toilet causes public outcry it should be cause to consider if the current controlling group are really the people you want to entrust £13m of your money to this year.