THERE is a mixed reaction to the call for the county council elections on May 3 to be postponed.

Brian Greenslade, the leader of Devon County Council, has said the vote should be called off because of the foot and mouth crisis.

He had already asked the Government on behalf of all four local party group leaders to allow Devon County Council to conduct an all-postal ballot, but went further this week by saying: 'Unless it can be shown that it is safe to hold the elections on May 3, then the local elections should be cancelled. If the Government feels it is safe to go ahead then we again ask them to let us run it as a postal ballot.'

His views were echoed by Roy Connelly, the Liberal Democratic candidate for Tavistock Rural and a Tavistock Town Councillor. He said: 'Obviously the farmers are uppermost in our minds. Unless everyone has the chance to vote we must consider whether it is right to go ahead with the election — it would not be the full democratic process.

'The priority has to be the control and eradication of this disease.'

John Taylor, the Conservative candidate for Tavistock Rural, said he would like the elections to go ahead as planned, but he wouldn't like to do anything that would adversely affect farmers.

"It would cause a lot of disruption if it was called off, and we may have to look at extending postal voting. I wouldn't want to do anything that would cause even more problems for farmers.'

The Mayor of Okehampton, Christine Marsh, who's a Conservative candidate for the town, said: 'I agree with the reasoning. It's a very sensitive issue. But we are all geared up for these elections and you have to consider how long you would postpone them for. We could be in the same situation in a month's time.'

David Inman, deputy chief executive of West Devon Borough Council said: 'As officers we would concur with whatever the county council decides. We understand all the difficulties and we would support whatever view they have.'