ROTHER is full of political surprises. Lib Dems and Tories currently hold 16 seats. Independent candidates do well and Labour is a force in parts of Bexhill and Rye.

Voters in the far eastern corner of Sussex do not follow the national trend and there could be some unexpected results when the votes are counted in the May 6 local election. ROWAN DORE reports.

ROTHER has an independent streak.

The council which covers the far east of Sussex takes in Bexhill, Battle, Rye and Winchelsea.

Constituents include the retired, commuters, farmers, successful businesspeople and names from the showbusiness world, including Sir Paul McCartney, Spike Milligan and Roger Daltrey.

Independents always do well and there are currently eight independent councillors and five Labour.

Rye always throws up surprises and will probably be the most intensely fought seat as Labour, Tories and Lib Dems battle over the three seats for the pretty harbour town.

Labour's Bob Beckwith is defending the seat he won last time, but the two independents, George Shackleton and Clifford Jordan, will not be standing again.

Winchelsea also sees a three-party fight for its one seat.

Battle returns three seats to Rother district and this ward will see a fight between Liberal Democrats and Tories. Labour only has one candidate for the battle of Battle.

It is the Conservatives and the Lib Dems who will be fighting to become the largest party on the 45-seat council. They currently each have 16 seats.

Both are confident they can increase their representation.

One well-known Rother Liberal Democrat, Jill Theis, who represents Crowhurst and Catsfield, is standing down after 12 years.

The current chairman of the council is Labour's Andrew Fleming, who is once again fighting in Bexhill Sidley. Liberal Democrat stalwart Margaret Jones, also a former council chairman, is again standing in Bexhill St Stephen's.

The main fight in Bexhill itself is between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. Already the Tories are off to a head start as their three candidates in Collington, Pauline Bullock, Ronald Dyson and William Plumbridge, stood unopposed.

The voters of Bexhill will know who their new councillors are on the night of Thursday, May 6, as the votes in the seven town wards will be counted on that night.

Votes in the remaining rural wards will be counted the following day.

There is a feeling in some parts of Rother that the rural areas are the forgotten part of the district and too much time is spent on matters concerning Bexhill.

All parties and independents intend to address this concern. Liberal Democrats say they want to increase the level of public consultation. Conservatives say further committees and forums, such as the Bexhill Town Forum, will just increase bureaucracy.

Rother has the lowest level of council tax in East Sussex. Liberal Democrats, while wanting to keep council tax low, say there is scope for extra expenditure, especially if it can bring much needed economic development.

Conservatives want to keep Rother's council tax the lowest in East Sussex and called for a nil increase this year.

Many believe Rother is one of the nicest parts of the country to bring up children. And lots of young families, where the main breadwinner works in London, Tunbridge Wells, Kent or the Brighton area, have moved in.

There has been a huge increase in the number of under-15s in the district. But if they want to work locally there are few opportunities, as most of the jobs are in local shops and the large number of residential and nursing homes in Bexhill.

There is little scope for manufacturing expansion in the area as 85 per cent of Rother is an area of outstanding natural beauty and contentious planning issues are fiercely fought.

Liberal Democrats and Labour say there is a need for a business park to the west of Bexhill, but some Conservatives are opposed, saying it will spoil the area.

All parties are agreed on one thing - saving and preserving the art deco De La Warr Pavilion on the seafront. Millions need to be spent on the pavilion, which is acknowledged as one of the country's best buildings.

Each party believes it is the one to get things moving more quickly towards restoration of Bexhill's most famous building.

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