VOTERS are due to go to the polls today for the Hulton by-election.

The community will decide who will represent the area on Bolton Council after Labour's Cllr Darren Whitehead died in November.

Standing for Labour at the election is Rabiya Jiva, while Toby Hewitt is standing for the Conservatives.

Both Labour and the Tories will be hopeful of winning the seat, as they currently each have one councillor in Hulton ward.

Bev Fletcher is the candidate for UKIP, which held a seat in Hulton before Cllr Diane Parkinson defected to the Tories.

Derek Gradwell is standing for the Liberal Democrats and James Tomkinson is the Green Party's candidate.

Hulton’s two current councillors are Labour’s Shafaqat Shaikh and Conservative Diane Parkinson, who defected from UKIP in January.

Both Labour and Conservative are confident they can win the seat to gain control of the ward.

UKIP’s Cllr Sean Hornby has also previously said his party is hopeful of winning a seat in a ward where they have had success in previous elections.