Voters in North Wiltshire go to the polls next Thursday, in what promises to be one of the most intriguing elections in years.

The district council is currently finely balanced between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Both parties' preparations for the poll have been less than ideal, with each taking difficult political hits over the last few months.

The leisure centre crisis that has dominated the headlines has done little to improve the hopes of the Lib Dems.

Council and party leader Carol O'Gorman is standing down, following fierce, and sometimes personal, criticism over her party's handling of the situation.

However, the Conservatives are not without their own troubles.

There is still a lot of ill feeling in the district over Conservative MP James Gray's affair and the knock-on effect that will have on the party's district council candidates remains to be seen.

Leader of the Conservatives Dick Tonge said there were a number of issues his party was standing on. They want, he said, to restore the council's financial stability, to support communities through the town and parish councils, to provide proper facilities such as leisure facilities and public toilets and to make the district greener by encouraging recycling and energy saving.

Coun Tonge added: "What we bring to the table is a business-like approach, rather than an amateur approach."

Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Sylvia Doubell said the party had a lot to be proud of.

"As a minority council we have nearly trebled recycling, funded community support officers and free local bus travel for pensioners, helped local families into affordable houses, helped many disabled people stay in their homes and cracked down on housing benefit fraud," she said.

Future aims would be the introduction of plastic and cardboard recycling, more affordable homes and making town centres safer.

UKIP leader Dianne Moore, who left the Lib Dems in February, said: "We are confident we can reduce taxation and we are keen to keep police stations open and get more police back on the street, where they can be seen."

The Labour party's Christine Reid said she would be pleased if her party could get three candidates elected to the district council.

"We have put our candidates where we think they will get best results. We realise this is not Labour heartland,"she said.

"In Corsham people are very concerned about parking charges and generally in North Wiltshire people have been worried about leisure."

One of the most keenly contested wards on the district council will be Box and Rudloe where the nine candidates include a BNP man, two Conservatives, two Lib Dems, two UKIPs, a Labour candidate and a English Democrats Putting England First candidate.