Voters from across Mid Sussex began making their way to polling stations today to decide who will represent them on their local councils.

From true-blue Tories in Horsham district to a staunch Labour council in Crawley, the area spans the full spectrum of political colours.

There are 267 candidates fighting for 110 seats on Horsham District Council, Crawley Borough Council and Mid Sussex District Council, and this year voters will be registering their democratic rights using a mix of postal ballots and polling stations.

At Mid Sussex District Council there are 114 candidates for 54 seats, in Horsham 113 candidates will stand for 44 seats, while in Crawley a third of the council is up for election, making 40 candidates for 12 seats.

Unlike Crawley, which has been Labour since it became a borough in 1974, Mid Sussex and Horsham have recently experienced changes in their political colours.

Traditionally Conservative, both councils fell to the Liberal Democrats in 1995, only to be won back by the Tories at the last election in 1999.

In Horsham, the Conservatives are expected to romp in again but on both councils the Lib Dems hope anger at recent council tax rises could win them favour.

Burning issues for Horsham are the threat of an incineration plant and a large rise in council tax.

This year's election is expected to be a tussle between the Tories and Lib Dems.

The current council is made up of 24 Conservatives, 14 Lib Dems and six Independents. The Conservatives are putting up 42 candidates, the Lib Dems will field 44, Labour has 16 and there will be 11 Independent candidates.

Postal votes will be added to the figures at the Horsham Drill Hall tonight.

Voters are likely to keep the red flag flying at the local elections in Crawley.

A third of the council is up for election in an area which has been a Labour stronghold for 39 years.

There are 40 prospective candidates for 12 seats.

Six are currently held by Labour, two by the Conservatives, one by the Liberal Democrats and one by an independent. There are also two vacancies, one in Furnace Green and another in Langley Green.

Eleven of the 13 wards are affected and the three main parties are each putting up 12 candidates.

There is also Independent Richard Symonds in Ifield, Socialist Labour candidate Derek Isaacs in Tilgate and Vernon Atkinson in Furnace Green for the British National Party.

The Reverend Malcolm Liles is standing for the Green Party in Southgate.

Mr Liles quit Labour last month in a moral protest against the war with Iraq and switched his allegiance to the Green Party. He had been a Labour councillor in Ifield, Crawley, for three years.

The full council has a total of 32 seats, with 21 Labour, six Conservative, two Liberal Democrat, one Independent, and two vacancies.

The main issues in the town are plans for a second and third runway at Gatwick, the fight for a hospital at Pease Pottage near Crawley, and affordable housing. There are also concerns over traffic, litter, and community safety.

Mid Sussex district, meanwhile, is in for a shake-up whoever wins control.

Twenty of its 54 councillors are not standing, including half the cabinet.

Ward boundary changes, brought in to address an imbalance between larger towns and smaller rural communities, have also brought changes to the political map.

It has also meant only one Independent is standing, leaving the prospect of no independent representation on the council for the first time in 30 years.

The threat of large-scale housing developments is one of the major issues.