It's going to be a close call. On Friday we will have either a Labour or Tory led Council.

Often people tell me there is not much of a difference between the parties but that's just not right.

Of course people enter local government to 'do good' but quite simply some are more effective than others and I genuinely believe that since the Tories have been in charge there has been a real sense of drift.

The debacle over St Mary in the Castle was not so much over whether Sonrise Church would make good tenants but whether it was right to negotiate behind closed doors with a single organisation. We shouldn't blame Sonrise Church for the ineptitude of the Tory leadership.

Remember the £1million cuts the Tory Council tried to push through at the last budget? That would have meant job cuts and reduced services for residents. It simply wasn't good enough and with all the extra Labour Government money wasn't necessary. Labour Councillors fought back. Thanks to their efforts the cuts were undone and valued local services were preserved.

When it comes to the Pier it's not the Tory Council's fault that the owners have behaved so badly in failing to repair the structure but it is their fault they won't commit to compulsory purchase of the Pier. This would help the 'Friends of Hastings Pier' group put together a package that could make the difference and save our beloved Pier.

And it's certainly their fault that with all the extra Government funding made available this year through the 'Working Neighbourhoods Fund' they still refuse to spend £30,000 on our older and disabled citizens so they can use their free bus passes from 9am. Many of them need this 9am service to get to Hospital appointments and the like. The Tories want to penalize people with bus passes by starting at 9:30am (even Rother and Eastbourne Councils have both opted for 9am).

The Tory Council has the extra money from Government but lacks the will. If a Labour Council is returned on May 1st they will spend that £30,000 and ensure all Bus Pass holders can travel for free from 9am.

Not only that but Labour have also committed to introducing a free 'Dial a Ride' service for those who are unable to use the buses.

That's the point. If we get a Labour council we will be back on course to take full advantage of Government commitment to the town. To end the drift and in one very practical way show we do celebrate and support our older citizens.

Remember, Labour says "YES" to 9am free bus passes, the Tories say "NO".

So I would invite my fellow residents to make the difference on the 1st of May - to say "YES" to a Labour Council and "NO" to the Tories. I am confident we will see the difference very quickly. We will see it immediately on the buses.