THE countdown to the next General Election has started, according to Bury North Conservatives.

They have chosen 41-year-old lawyer David Nuttall to take on Labour's David Chaytor, who has held the seat since 1997.

Mr Nuttall is an experienced campaigner, having contested the Morecambe seat in 2001 and Sheffield Hillsborough four years earlier.

He is a Sheffield man born and bred, and has his own legal practice there, but he says that he and his fiance, Susan, will be moving to Bury to live as soon as possible.

"I am delighted to have been selected and I can assure the people of Bury, Tottington and Ramsbottom that their interests and well-being will be my number one concern at all times," he said.

Mr Nuttall was a Tory councillor in Rotherham between 1992 and 1996, and gained his law degree by correspondence from London University.

Although he hails from the other side of the Pennines, he points out that he is half-Lancastrian as his father came from the Red Rose county.

"We will be living in Bury North as soon as we can buy a house," he said. "That shows a level of commitment. I care about the people in Bury North and I want to get to know them and their concerns and help them as much as I can. Whenever the Prime Minister calls the election, I will be ready."