IT IS a day synonymous around the world with Star Wars, but this year May 4 has another significance for residents of Basingstoke and Deane as they get set to vote for their new county councillors.

Residents will once again head to the polls to decide who will be their representative in the Hampshire County Council chambers.

Within the Basingstoke and Deane district there will be 10 seats which are being contested.

Across Hampshire there is 76 electoral divisions where candidates will be responsible for the running of a range of essential local services that impact on all aspects of everyday life for 1.3 million people across the county.

At this election there will be at least one new councillor for Basingstoke, as the representative for the Basingstoke Central division seat, Cllr Criss Connor, is not up for reelection.

So one of Brian Simmonds, Conservative, Michael Westbrook, Labour, Joseph Pinto, Green Party or Doris Jones, Liberal Democrats will take the seat.

Labour councillor Jane Frankum will be looking to retain her seat for Basingstoke North division, and will be hoping to win more votes than her follow candidates Paul Miller, Conservative, Zoe-Marie Rogers, Lib Dem and Duncan Stone, UKIP.

Conservative candidate Cllr Stephen Reid, will not be standing for re-election of his seat for the Basingstoke North West division.

Instead he is set to contest the seat for Basingstoke South West division, where he will go head to head with Ian Edney, Labour, Carl Reader, Lib Dem and David White UKIP.

Cllr Reid’s vacated seat will instead be contested by Conservative candidate David Taylor, Labour candidate Robert Jones, Lib Dem representative Richard Day and Philip Heath who is standing as an independent.

Heath was originally listed as the UKIP candidate but said he has resigned from the party.

The elections are taking place on May 4.

Other seats being contested during the election are Basingstoke South East, Calleva, Candovers, Oakley and Overton, Loddon, Tadley and Baughurst and Whitchurch and the Cleres.

For more information on the local elections, visit basingstoke.gov.uk/hcc-election-2017.