ANTHONY Coles says he doesn't have a "snowball's chance in hell" of winning a seat on South Lakeland District Council, but that he believed somebody had to put his head above the parapet.

Mr Coles, 65, had originally wanted to stand for the Grange ward as a "pursuer of incompetence, inefficiency, cronyism and obscuration", in protest at what he said were failings at SLDC.

However, he has been told that the form of words cannot be used.

"In other words the system is biased against anybody trying to sort anything out," said Mr Coles, who said he would be contacting the Electoral Commission.

SLDC electoral services officer Claire Wheatman said that at district level, candidates were only allowed to use a registered political party name or a name they had registered with the Electoral Commission, or alternatively, use independent or leave the description blank.

"It's just unfortunate that it's now a legal requirement," she said.

Mr Coles, a retired chartered gas and energy engineer, cited a litany of problems which he said had driven him to stand.

He referred to SLDC's handling of the spartina grass problem in Grange-over-Sands, and the row in 2000 about whether land in the town should be leased to a tennis club which resulted in a parish poll. Although "neutral" about whether a supermarket should be built in Grange, Mr Coles said there should be a parish poll on the issue.

Mr Coles said he also wanted to know more about the current difficulties at the council surrounding a £1 million financial anomaly.

"I feel that somebody ought to stand up and be willing to ask them questions."