THE BNP is again trying to get a political foothold in Swindon.

The party is putting forward three candidates for the May 3 borough council election.

Chris Southgate, Ken Waters and Reg Bates will fight for seats in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst, Parks and Penhill.

Deputy returning officer Alan Winchcombe said the increased presence of the BNP was notable, but he also pointed out a rise in UKIP and Green Party candidates.

He said: "We've had more UKIP and Greens than we've ever had before."

Securing seats in the borough would be a first for all three parties.

The Greens are fielding 16 candidates this year and UKIP seven. The Conservatives have put forward 21 candidates, Labour 20 and the Liberal Democrats 20.

A third of councillors are up for re-election this year, meaning 22 seats are up for grabs in 21 wards.

The deadline for nominations for candidates closed on Wednesday.

Currently the council is made up of 41 Conservatives, 12 Labour, three Liberal Democrats and two Independents. One seat is vacant.

The council only expects 50 per cent of voters to place their ballots at the polling station this year.

It hopes new ways of voting will tempt more residents to have their say.

A new hi-tech wireless system will allow punters to vote at any polling station.

They can also vote online in the library or from home.

Voters can see a 250-word online statement on candidates as they cast their preference.

The council previewed the online voting system for councillors at the civic offices yesterday.

The closing date to register for internet voting at home is April 18.

Votes can be submitted online from April 26 to May 3.

Thousands of people have already pre-registered to vote online according to Mr Winchcombe, with 2,000 people already cancelling their postal vote in favour of the internet.

Mr Winchcombe hopes it will up the numbers of people casting their vote.

"This is the most diverse pilot in the world," he said.

"We have people of 96 years of age registering to vote on the internet.

"We are hoping for more votes because of it. We have people telling us they can only vote on the internet.

"We need to give people the facilities to do what they want. We need to encourage younger people to vote."

At last year's elections, Reg Bates stood for the BNP in the Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward but he lost out to Labour.

  • For a full list of candidates in this year's borough council election, see Monday's Advertiser.