VOTERS go to the polls today with 21 of Bolton Council’s 60 seats up for grabs.

On the ballot papers there will be 99 candidates, who will stand in battles across all wards in the borough, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats putting up one prospective councillor for each seat.

Bolton is made up of 20 wards, and each ward is represented by three councillors.

The political balance of Bolton Council is on a knife edge with no party in overall control.

The Conservatives are currently running the administration with 17 councillors after coming to an arrangement with other groups.

They have a working arrangement with smaller parties, Farnworth & Kearsley First, who have four councillors, and Horwich and Blackrod First Independents and UKIP, who have two representatives each.

The Liberal Democrats, who have six councillors, were part of that working arrangement, agreed in 2019, but pulled out earlier this year after disagreements with the Tories.

The Labour group has the most councillors with 18, but has been acting as the opposition group for the past two years.

There is an additional councillor vacancy in Astley Bridge ward so voters there will select two members of the council.

There are also a number of other parties vying for seats, including Westhoughton First Independents and new party Bolton For Change, which is fielding eight candidates.

Candidates from the Green Party will stand in 16 wards throughout Bolton.

For those voting in person, familiar precautionary measures such as social distancing and one-way systems will be in place at each of Bolton’s 147 polling stations.

Bolton Council has put in 400 protective screens to keep the public and polling staff safe, while hand sanitiser will be available at the entrances and exits.

Voters are asked to wear a face covering and to bring their own pen or pencil.

A total of 45,915 postal ballots have been cast this year, an increase of nine per cent from 2019, when elections were last held.

The election count will also be different this year.

Instead of votes being tallied overnight, counting for the local elections will take place during the day tomorrow, with vote-counters working behind protective screens at socially-distanced tables.

Results are expected in the late morning or early afternoon tomorrow.