Voters go to the polls in Kirklees today (Thursday May 5) to elect new councillors.

A third of the 69 seats on Kirklees Council are up for grabs and polling stations are open between 7am and 10pm.

Labour currently runs the council as the largest party but there is no overall control. Labour has 33 seats, the Conservatives 19, Lib Dems nine, Greens (three), Holme Valley Independents (three) and other Independents (two).

Of the seats up for election this year Labour is defending 11, the Tories six, the Lib Dems four and the Holme Valley Independents and the Greens one each.

Counting of the votes takes place at Cathedral House in Huddersfield from 1pm on Friday, with the results expected to be declared between approximately 3pm and 6.30pm. The results will be announced as they happen on the Kirklees Council website.

Labour has three Cabinet members up for re-election in Will Simpson (Denby Dale), Cathy Scott (Dewsbury East) and Viv Kendrick (Heckmondwike). Denby Dale and Heckmondwike have been closely-fought in recent years while the Tories face a tight battle to retain Colne Valley and Holme Valley South.

Clr Peter McBride is standing down

Tory group leader David Hall is up for re-election in Liversedge & Gomersal as is Lib Dem leader John Lawson in Cleckheaton.

Some long-serving councillors are also bowing out and not seeking re-election. Veteran Peter McBride, the councillor who had spearheaded the Huddersfield Blueprint as Cabinet member for regeneration, is retiring from the council.

Also stepping down is the current Mayor of Kirklees Nigel Patrick (Holme Valley South).

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Other noteworthy candidates include the Monster Raving Loony Party’s Sir Archibald Stanton Earl ‘Eaton, who is standing in Dewsbury East, and Steve Bradbury, who is seeking election as an independent in Crosland Moor & Netherton.

Mr Bradbury – dubbed one of the UK’s most prolific complainers – has been a thorn in the side of Kirklees Council and is currently banned from all council buildings. That doesn’t stop him from attending the election count, however, as Cathedral House is a church building, home to Huddersfield Christian Fellowship.

The full list of candidates for each area is as follows:

ALMONDBURY (Lib Dem) 

·                       Maria Ackroyd (Con) 

·                       Barbara Jones (Lab) 

·                       Alison Munro (Lib Dems) 

·                       Peter Taylor (Green) 

ASHBROW (Lab – Clr Uppal standing down) 

·                       Dafydd Daniel (Con) 

·                       Fran Perry (Lab) 

·                       Manjit Singh (Lib Dems) 

·                       Brenda Smithson (Green) 

BATLEY EAST (Lab – Clr Akhtar standing down) 

·                       Aziz Daji (Workers Party of Britain) 

·                       Simon Duffy (Green) 

·                       Keiron Gavaghan (Con) 

·                       David Shepherd (Lib Dems) 

·                       Adam Zaman (Lab) 

BATLEY WEST (Lab) 

·                       Mohammed Laher (Con) 

·                       Stephen Long (Lib Dems) 

·                       Gwen Lowe (Lab) 

·                       Jack Senior (Green) 

BIRSTALL & BIRKENSHAW (Con) 

·                       Tahir Akram (Green) 

·                       Liz Smaje (Con) 

·                       Julie Smith (Lab) 

·                       Louise Walsh (Lib Dems) 

CLECKHEATON (Lib Dem) 

·                       Piers Briggs (Con) 

·                       John Lawson (Lib Dems) 

·                       Khalid Patel (Lab) 

COLNE VALLEY (Con) 

·                       Donna Bellamy (Con) 

·                       Jake Marchington (Lib Dems) 

·                       Harry McCarthy (Lab) 

·                       Julia Norman (Green) 

·                       Melanie Roberts (UKIP) 

CROSLAND MOOR & NETHERTON (Lab – Clr Hill standing down) 

·                       Isaac Barnett (Con) 

·                       Suzanna Barraclough (Lib Dems) 

·                       Steve Bradbury (Ind) 

·                       Chris Green (Green) 

·                       Jo Lawson (Lab) 

DALTON (Lab – Clr McBride standing down) 

·                       Dominic Black (Lib Dems) 

·                       James Easingwood (Con) 

·                       Tyler Hawkins (Lab) 

·                       Clare Walters (Green) 

DENBY DALE (Lab) 

·                       Craig Armistead (Lib Dems) 

·                       Vicky Rank (Con) 

·                       Michael Shaw (Green) 

·                       Will Simpson (Lab) 

·                       Jonathan Tilt (Freedom Alliance) 

DEWSBURY EAST (Lab) 

·                       Sir Archibald Stanton Earl ‘Eaton (Monster Raving Loony Party) 

·                       Keith Mallinson (Con) 

·                       Gideon Richards (Green) 

·                       Cathy Scott (Lab) 

·                       Dan Woodlock (Lib Dems) 

DEWSBURY SOUTH (Lab) 

·                       Masood Ahmed (Lab) 

·                       Sean Guy (Con) 

·                       Dennis Hullock (Lib Dems) 

·                       Albert Parker (Green) 

DEWSBURY WEST (Lab – Clr Hussain standing down) 

·                       Ammar Anwar (Lab) 

·                       Sajid Hussain (Con) 

·                       John Rossington (Lib Dems) 

·                       Nicholas Whittingham (Green) 

GOLCAR (Lib Dem) 

·                       Trevor Bellamy (Con) 

·                       Miri Finch (Freedom Alliance) 

·                       Robert Iredale (Lib Dems) 

·                       Nina Roberts (Green) 

·                       Graham Turner (Lab) 

GREENHEAD (Lab) 

·                       Peter Harrison (Lib Dems) 

·                       Eileen Marchant (Con) 

·                       Heather Peacock (Green) 

·                       Mohan Sokhal (Lab) 

HECKMONDWIKE (Lab) 

·                       Itrat Ali (Con) 

·                       Zahid Kahut (Workers Party of Britain) 

·                       Viv Kendrick (Lab) 

·                       Josie Pugsley (Lib Dems) 

HOLME VALLEY NORTH (Ind) 

·                       Kingsley Hill (Lib Dems) 

·                       Susan Laird (Reform UK) 

·                       Ben Lockley (Lab) 

·                       Terry Lyons (Ind) 

·                       Tony McGrath (Con) 

·                       Samuel Midgley (Green) 

HOLME VALLEY SOUTH (Con – Clr Patrick standing down) 

·                       Damian Brook (Con) 

·                       Moses Crook (Lab) 

·                       Darryl Gould (Green) 

·                       Andrew McCaig (Lib Dems) 

KIRKBURTON (Con) 

·                       Waheed Anwar (Lib Dems) 

·                       Bill Armer (Con) 

·                       Richard Burton (Green) 

·                       Soyeb Yusuf (Lab) 

LINDLEY (Lib Dem) 

·                       Gulfam Asif (Lab) 

·                       Cahal Burke (Lib Dems) 

·                       David Heathcote (Con) 

·                       Ian Vincent (Green) 

LIVERSEDGE & GOMERSAL (Con) 

·                       David Hall (Con) 

·                       Jude McKaig (Lab) 

·                       Linda Simmons (Green) 

·                       David Snee (Lib Dems) 

MIRFIELD (Con) 

·                       Stephen Bird (Lib Dems) 

·                       Geoff Kernan (Lab) 

·                       Vivien Lees-Hamilton (Con) 

·                       Catherine Whittingham (Green) 

NEWSOME (Green) 

·                       Karen Allison (Green) 

·                       Bikatshi Katenga (Yorkshire Party) 

·                       John Roberts (Con) 

·                       Mohammed Safdar (Lab) 

·                       Andrew Wilkinson (Lib Dems)