Polling Day Thursday - Lib Dems in confident mood

11.24.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Apr 2008

LIberal Democrats Winning here

Liberal Democrats in the Hexham Constituency and across Northumberland are hopeful of being the strongest party following the elections for the new Northumberland council on Thursday.

Spokesperson Andrew Tebbutt insisted that only the Liberal Democrats could break the Labour stranglehold at County Hall.

He explained that in the last county election in 2005, more people (over 53,000) voted Liberal Democrat than Labour (51,000), with the Tories and Independents a distant third (36,000).

He said: "Only the peculiarities of the first past the post arrangements prevented the Liberal Democrats being the official Opposition.

"Only the Liberal Democrats have not had candidate defections and unrest."

With the major parties split with defections, the Liberal Democrats hope to become the largest party in the new Northumberland unitary authority..