WORCESTERSHIRE'S chattering classes may have pencilled in Thursday, May 3, as the most likely date for the General Election.

But have they given much thought to the forthcoming county council elections?

My bet is that the national and county elections will be held on the same day.

I don't mind predicting that, nationally, the Conservative party is set to flounder - even though Labour's majority is sure to be reduced. William Hague will no doubt go the way of his ill-fated baseball cap as a result, though not for some months.

In this county it will be a different story, though. MPs Peter Luff, Julie Kirkbride and Sir Michael Spicer are all looking pretty comfortable, as are Mike Foster and Jacqui Smith. The less said about David Lock's chances, the better.

But I also think Worcestershire's Tories are likely to be swept to power at County Hall after eight years on the sidelines, simply out of a desire for change.

After all, last year the party trounced the opposition not only in Worcester, but Malvern Hills, Bromsgrove and Wychavon.

The future depends largely on what happens in Wyre Forest, where the continuing row about the general hospital is bound to be exploited to the hilt regardless of the fact the county council cannot overturn Worcestershire Health Authority's or Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust's policies.

Should the political map turn blue, it will be interesting to see how a Tory administration would handle the county's budget after years of moaning.

The prime target for cuts would appear to be education, giving our headteachers planning a lobbying trip this week to London plenty more to gripe about later in the year.

Meanwhile, the Conservative group would be able to make the most of the benefits of a controversial 13 per cent rise in council tax, ordered during the previous Lib-Lab administration.