Despite feverish electioneering going on in the towns and parishes throughout Kennet, it is unlikely that more than a third of the people eligible to vote will bother to make their cross next Thursday.

Indeed, elections will be held in fewer than a quarter of parish councils as not enough candidates have applied to stand to require an election.

In some, quite influential, parishes, such as Roundway, where hundreds of new homes have been built over the last ten years, there has never been an election in their whole history. In contrast, competition is fierce in Devizes and Marlborough.

In Devizes, 29 candidates are competing for a total of 17 seats on the town council.

There is a liberal sprinkling of hopefuls from the Conservatives, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and Devizes Guardians.

And there is one independent standing for the Devizes North ward, former Labour stalwart Ian Hopkins, who resigned from the Labour Party two years ago in protest against the invasion of Iraq.

Among the new names on the ballot sheet is Jim Gudgeon, a former caretaker at the town hall who left to join Kennet District Council.

He is now hoping to return to his former stamping ground as an elected representative of the Conservative Party.

Over at Marlborough, 21 candidates are set to contest the 16 seats on the two town council wards.

They represent the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and the local residents'