COUNTY council candidates are anxious voters do not forget that another important election is taking place on June 7.

The elections for Buckinghamshire County Council will determine what happens to services in Bucks.

Schools, roads, housing, trading standards, rubbish tips, social services, libraries, birth, death and marriage registrations and careers advice, will all be controlled by elected councillors.

Nineteen alone will be elected from wards in the Wycombe district.

Councillors themselves are anxious that their own election does not blend into the background of national campaigning.

Alan Waterson, 39, of West Wycombe Road, is standing as the Labour county council candidate for West Wycombe and Sands.

He said: "You do not phone your local MP if the street lights are not working. That is a county council responsibility."

He added: "It is in everyone's interest that we get good education for everybody. It is a partnership between local government and national government in a lot of ways."

Bob Woollard is the Conservative candidate standing for Marlow Rural.

He said: "Local democracy is terribly important. People want to know who their county councillor is.

"If they want something done they want a councillor up their road they can go to talk to."

Mr Woollard, who is seeking re-election, thought that local knowledge helped.

He said: "If someone does at least know the locality and the problem then people at least feel assured. Last night I was at a meeting talking about flooding."

Local people in a county election can bring local issues to local representatives.

Reg Rundle, a Liberal Democrat standing in West Wycombe and Sands, said: "I can be available.

"That is the reason they are important.

"Education is the biggest issue and at the end of the day delivery is by the county council education service.

"There is a feeling if it is not on TV then it is not news."