IT would take an electoral earthquake of seismic proportions for the ruling Liberal Democrats to lose control of Eastleigh.

They have been at the civic helm since taking control from the Conservatives in 1994. Ever since they have made major inroads into areas which traditionally had never turned a shade of yellow.

Last year the party made it another record-breaking night as they picked off two Tory scalps and also made it a miserable night for Labour by unseating a long-serving councillor in Bishopstoke.

Currently the state of the parties is 37 Liberal Democrats, five Conservatives and two Labour.

This time round there are contests in 15 of the 19 wards with the major parties fielding candidates and the UK Independence and Green Party also entering the fray.

The Liberal Democrats are defending 12 seats while the Conservatives will be hoping to keep a grip on three and make gains in others to compensate for last year's poll misery.

For Labour there is no danger of a humiliating wipe out for they will still have two councillors when the council returns for its new term.

Labour group leader Peter Luffman said that with a General Election perhaps about 18 months to two years away they were going all out to strengthen the party's vote in the constituency.

As well as hoping to increase his party's presence, Tory leader Godfrey Olson has a personal record in sight as he defends his corner in Hiltingbury East.

If he wins and then completes his four-year stint, the former mayor will have completed 57 years in the council chamber.

But fellow Tory Doreen Wellfare has taken her final bow from civic life after a service stretching 38 years. She will not be contesting Hiltingbury West.

A former long serving and front bench member of the Liberal Democrats will be bidding for a front bench comeback. Grahame Smith is the party's candidate in Chandler's Ford West.

As they go into this latest polling booth battle the Liberal Democrats say they have kept council tax rises one per cent below inflation over the past five years. And they are vowing to do this for the next three years.

Councillor Keith House says: "We have attracted a £25m investment in cinema and bowling to Eastleigh's Swan Centre due to open for Christmas.

"We are the only council in the country to have invested with our parish councils, in Police Community Support Officers to tackle antisocial behaviour. We have extended CCTV from Hiltingbury to Hamble."

The debate over planting homes on Eastleigh's allotments has been raging for some years and it is likely to rumble on for many years to come.

Cllr House says: "We have invested in allotments closer to where allotment holders live."

Liberal Democrats have opposed the Conservative Regional Assembly's plans for massive new housing.

Gravel extraction has also become a new threat to the borough's green and pleasant fields and the borough's southern parishes area is very much in the firing line.

Cllr House says: "We say there is no case for destroying the Hamble Peninsula's environment with gravel pits at Hamble Airfield, Butlock's Heath or Old Netley."

Although they have a mountain to climb to change the political face of the council chamber the Conservatives believe it is time for a change in Eastleigh.

They do not see a need for the 6,000 house new town that Liberal Democrats want to build in Hedge End and the mayhem it will cause to already congested roads.

Conservative group leader Councillor Godfrey Olson says: "We do not want the people of Hamble to have their green fields turned into gravel pits to feed Liberal Democrat plans for these house-building projects.

Anti-parking policy Conservatives say they will reverse the council's anti-car and anti-parking policies that plague the lives of local residents.

Cllr Olson says: " We want pensioners to be rewarded for the contribution they have made to society with a discount on their council tax.

"Conservatives want young people to pay less for travel and the hire of recreation facilities in the borough, and to get the help and the facilities they need to allow them to make a positive contribution to the community and become valued members of society.

"We want people to feel safe when they go out and about, and an end to the antisocial behaviour that, the council with all its licensing powers, does little to prevent."

He said that new planning guidance introduced by the Conservatives in Chandler's Ford had protected the character of the area, protected property rights and deterred inappropriate developments.

At this time of the year there are many doorstep promises by all political parties.

But the group's leader Councillor Peter Luffmann says: "That's why Labour is making a statement of intent on the actions we will carry out to benefit the people of Eastleigh.

"Our candidates, and hopefully new councillors, will give priority to carrying out these aims.

"Above all else we believe that in local democracy it's important that councillors should be speaking up on behalf of their residents rather than blindly following political dogma.

"We will fight against proposed housing developments that do not benefit local people; for safe recreational land for our children and young people as well as safe pavements and roads."

Cllr Luffmann says they will ensure that residents' views are fully considered on all matters that personally affect the community.

He said: "We will fight for action on traffic congestion and infrastructure problems caused by all the infill housing development in our borough, and fight to protect our local environment.

"Thanks to the Liberal Democrats the 72 year old tree planted to commemorate Eastleigh becoming a borough was recently chopped down to allow an extension to The Point.

"In its lifetime it soaked up 1.33 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide gas.

"Their policy of building more and more flats, destroying allotments and cutting down mature trees must surely be affecting our environment. It's time residents called in to question their so-called green credentials."