On Thursday, voters in five Sussex districts go to the polls to decide who will represent them in the council chamber.

Rosettes of all political colours have been dusted off as party activists march up thousands of drives across the county to debate the burning issues of the day on people's doorsteps.

Leaflets are being put through letterboxes and placards placed prominently, urging people to vote one way or another. One of the biggest problems they will face is apathy, with 35 per cent turnouts regarded as excellent in some wards.

There is no election this year in Brighton and Hove, Arun, Chichester, Mid Sussex, Horsham, Lewes, Wealden or Rother. But there should be fireworks in other districts.

Worthing, arguably the most genteel town in Sussex, has been a cauldron of political intrigue in recent years, with mayors sparking uproar by joining rival parties. Following the defection of former Tory mayor Geraldine Lissenburg to the Lib Dems after a short stint as an independent, the council is currently hung.

Fourteen of Worthing's 36 seats are up for grabs, including two made vacant by the resignation of Tory councillors Jon Howcroft-Stemp and Rikki Orridge. Mayor Brian McLuskie (Lib Dem) is contesting his seat, along with high-profile councillors Maurice Tucker (Lib Dem) and Steven Waight (Con). Mrs Lissenburg's husband, Donald, is standing for the Lib Dems in Offington.

Eastbourned is likely to be another nail-biting election. Mayor Beryl Healy holds the casting vote on a council with 14 Lib Dems and 15 Tories. Candidates are contesting ten seats, four vacated by Lib Dems Bob Kirtley, John Strivens, Leslie Mason and Bob Kerr.

Labour is the ruling group in Adur but does not have overall control. Fifteen of the district's 38 seats are in the frame, including two currently empty after the death of independent Derek Hancock (Shoreham Beach Residents' Association) and the resignation of Lib Dem Dr Tim Stevenson.

Labour's main threat will be the Lib Dems, who have 13 seats - two fewer than Labour - followed by the Tories, with eight.

Crawley is dominated by Labour, with 24 seats. The party would have had 25 but Jack Newsome resigned and moved away. The Tories, with five seats, and the Lib Dems, with two, are minor rivals in this socialist stronghold, unlikely to dent Labour's majority too much.

Labour has the upper hand in Hastings, with 19 seats against ten Lib Dems and three Tories.

Of 32 seats in total, 11 are on the line. In all areas, polling booths will open from 8am to 9pm, when the counts begin. The first results will come in at about 10.30pm.

The results will be seen by political commentators as an indicator of the performance of Tony Blair and his Government. Normally, support for a government, Labour or Tory, slumps in mid term. But the Prime Minister will be confident of a good result as the economy booms and unemployment continues to fall.

However, the Government has been thrown on the back foot recently by two separate issues - crime and asylum seekers. Tory leader William Hague has come under fire for demanding a radical overhaul of the law on self-defence after Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was jailed for the murder of a teenage burglar. He also stirred up a hornets' nest over proposals to house asylum seekers in detention centres.

And it could be these issues, rather than purely local matters, that dominate doorstep discussions over the next few days.

Don't miss the Argus on Friday for a full round up of the results from Sussex.