ALL three leaders of the chief political parties on Basingstoke council have confirmed to The Gazette that they will be standing in the borough council elections on June 10.

Council leader Cllr Rob Donnelly (Labour), deputy council leader Cllr Brian Gurden (Liberal Democrat) and Conservative group leader Cllr John Leek have all indicated to The Gazette that they will be standing for election as their four-year terms on the council come to an end.

A total of 22 seats will be contested this time.

One third of the 60 councillors are due to stand down, having reached the ends of their respective terms, and there will also be a by-election in each of the Burghclere, Highclere and Bourne wards.

The Burghclere by-election has been prompted by the disqualification for non-attendance of non-aligned councillor John Clegg.

The Highclere and Bourne by-election has been caused by the resignation of Conservative councillor Tim Jardine, who no longer lives in the area.

The run-up to the borough council elections began on Wednesday with the deadline for posting of the official notice of election.

Thursday, May 13, is the closing date by which candidates must submit their nomination papers.

First indications from the parties are that only two current councillors will not be seeking re-election. These are Labour councillors Tommy Millar and Colin Regan.

Cllr Millar has represented Brighton Hill South and Cllr Regan, who is standing down for health reasons, has represented South Ham.

Labour group leader Cllr Sean Keating, said former councillors Pam Lonie and Gary Watts are set to stand as Labour candidates in Brighton Hill South and South Ham respectively.

June 10 is also the date of the elections for the European Parliament.

Voters in Basingstoke will be voting on the closed list system of proportional representation for candidates for 10 seats in the South East region.

The Gazette and BCOT have teamed up to organise a special "Local Election: Question Time" event on Wednesday, June 2. To find out more, and for information on how to take part, see the "Local Elections" section of the website.