AS well as the General Election on May 5, local elections are also taking place across the country, including parts of the North-East.

While Britain is electing a Prime Minister, the people of Hartlepool will be electing a new mayor, with seven candidates declaring their hands yesterday.

And every politician who is standing for office, at either national or local level, should remember what happened in Hartlepool three years ago.

It was the unforgettable occasion which led to one of the most bizarre front page headlines published in the history of this proud newspaper: Monkey is Mayor.

Stuart Drummond stood as a joke candidate in a monkey suit - and won. The result turned the local Labour Party into a laughing stock, and left the town's then MP, Peter Mandelson, in a state of fury.

The monkey suit was never seen on the Mayor again, and Hartlepool and Drummond have done their best to make the unthinkable workable.

But that election demonstrated that nothing should be taken for granted in politics. It underlined the disenchantment voters have with mainstream politics and exposed what can happen if politicians do not work hard to engage with local people and understand their needs.

We are not interested in dross and drivel, or stunts and sniping from election candidates, and neither are our readers.

We are only interested in publishing relevant information which will encourage our readers to vote and help them make a considered choice.

Apathy is the enemy of democracy. It is up to all of us to guard against it.