VOTERS in Whitchurch will be presented with just one ballot paper on Borough Council election day, despite the fact that both of the town's seats are up for grabs.

Councillor Alison Wall has come to the end of her four-year term on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and is standing for re-election, while there will also be a by-election following the retirement of Cllr Gill Nethercott due to illness.

Paula Chatterton, electoral services manager at Basingstoke council, explained that voters will receive one ballot paper containing the names of all eight people standing, but will be able to vote for up to two candidates.

When the ballots are counted, the candidate with most votes will be elected for a four-year term until 2010. The candidate receiving the second-highest number of votes will win the by-election and serve just one year before facing re-election.

Ms Chatterton said: "The council has decided to use this system rather than using two different ballot papers. This will make it easier for voters. It's more environmentally-friendly and also easier to manage."

A total of eight candidates will battle it out for the two Whitchurch seats.

Roger Bailey and Stanley Parry will stand for Labour, Stephen Climpson and Paul Skinner are Green Party candidates, Henry Du Val and Bill Judge are the Conservative candidates and Alison Wall and John Wall are standing for the Liberal Democrats.

First published: Thursday, April 20, 2006