Council elections: Here are all the candidates standing in the 2024 Wakefield Council elections

Voters will go to the polls on Thursday, May 2 when 22 of 63 council seats will be up for grabs.

Twelve of the seats will be contested by serving councillors, with ten others not seeking re-election.

Six independent councillors have not put their names forward for re-election.

They are: Raymond Massey (Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton), Paul Stockhill (Crofton, Ryhill and Walton), Tony Homewood (Ossett), Akef Akbar (Wakefield East), Richard Hunt (Wakefield South) and Annemarie Glover (Wrenthorpe and Outwood West).

Two councillors will be elected in Normanton ward following the resignation of Labour councillor Isabel Owen last month.

Labour’s Julie Medford will be seeking re-election in the ward along with party colleague Daniel Wilton

The Conservatives will also field two candidates in Normanton.

Two other Labour councillors not standing for re-election are Pauline Kitchen (Hemsworth) and Lorna Malkin (Pontefact North).

Tory councillor Cynthia Binns is not standing for re-election in Wakefield Rural.

Ian Saunders is standing for the Conservatives in Rural ward a year after losing his seat to Labour’s Jordan Bryan by just 14 votes.

Thirteen of the 22 seats up for election are held by Labour, six are held by independents, two by the Conservatives and one by the Liberal Democrats.

Lib Dem Adele Hayes will be standing to defend Kottingley and former Tory group leader Tony Hames is seeking re-election in Pontefract South.

Labour is the ruling group on the council with 48 seats.

The Conservatives have five, the Lib Dems have three and there are seven independent councillors.

A total of 91 candidates are standing for election across all council wards.

Labour, Conservatives and The Green Party are competing in every seat.

The Yorkshire Party have candidates in seven wards.

Wakefield and District Independents and the Lib Dems each have six candidates.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is fielding four candidates and there are two Reform UK candidates.

The Heritage Party has one candidate standing in Wrenthorpe and Outwood West.

Mark Harrop is seeking election as an independent councillor in Horbury and South Ossett ward.

Wakefield Council is encouraging residents to visit a library in the district if they need help to use their vote.

Anyone who needs help with applying for a postal vote, a proxy vote or voter authority certificate can get help to complete the online application.

Gillian Marshall, the council’s electoral registration officer, said: “It’s really important that all our residents are able to have their say in the upcoming elections.

“We recognise that for some, completing the relevant forms, especially online, can be tricky and that’s why we have trained our friendly library staff to be able to offer help and support so that you can use your vote this May.”

Residents have until midnight on April 16 to make sure they are registered to vote.

It is quick and simple to register by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

People will need their date of birth and National Insurance number to be able to register.

The deadline to apply for a new postal vote or a new postal proxy vote, or to make changes to existing postal or proxy postal votes is 5pm on Wednesday, April 17.

Photographic identification is now required to vote at a polling station.

Passports, driving licences, bus passes and disabled badges can be used.

A full list of all acceptable identity documents is available at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

Anyone who does not have one of the required forms of photo ID will be able to get a free voter authority certificate from the council.

To apply, visit www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.

The candidates, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton – Ward 1

Jody Gabriel – Green Party

Dylan Nykamp – Conservative

Martin Roberts – Labour

Airedale and Ferry Fryston – Ward 2

Jackie Ferguson – Labour

John Ingham – Green Party

Neil Kennedy – Wakefield District Independents

Eamonn Mullins – Conservative

Altofts and Whitwood – Ward 3

Peter Forster – Conservative

Krys Holmes – Green Party

Josie Pritchard – Labour

John Thomas – Wakefield District Independents

Castleford Central and Glasshoughton – Ward 4

Stephen Brennan – Green Party

Richard Forster – Labour

Paul Phelps – Yorkshire Party

Joanne Smart – Conservative

Crofton, Ryhill and Walton – Ward 5

Elizabeth Cowton – Conservative

Faith Heptinstall – Labour

Garry Newby – Green Party

Featherstone – Ward 6

Cynthia Dickenson – Green Party

Anthony Hill – Conservative

Maureen Tennant-King – Labour

Hemsworth – Ward 7

Michael Johnson – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Laura Jones – Labour

Lyn Morton – Green Party

Doreen Smart – Conservative

Horbury and South Ossett – Ward 8

Darren Byford – Labour

Madalena Coutinho – Conservative

Mark Goodair – Liberal Democrats

Mark Harrop – Independent

Richard Norris – Green Party

Knottingley – Ward 9

Theo Biddle – Labour

Adele Hayes – Liberal Democrats

Ruth Love – Green Party

Amy Swift – Conservative

Normanton – Ward 10 (Two to be elected)

John Clayton – Green Party

Julie Medford – Labour

Tomas Mestre – Conservative

Cliff Parsons – Wakefield and District Independents

Chad Thomas – Conservative

Daniel Wilton – Labour

Ossett – Ward 11

Simon Biltcliffe – Yorkshire Party

Karl Clough – Conservative

Tony Sargeant – Liberal Democrats

Stephen Scott – Green Party

Sandra Senior – Reform UK

Duncan Smith – Labour

Pontefract North – Ward 12

Helen Antcliff – Labour

Jack Crosswaite – Conservative

Chris Dawson – Yorkshire Party

Emma Tingle – Green Party

Pontefract South – Ward 13

Julie Craig – Labour

Tony Hames – Conservatives

Oliver Watkins – Green Party

South Elmsall and South Kirkby – Ward 14

Michelle Collins – Labour

Stefan Ludewig – Green Party

Daniel Wrightson – Conservative

Stanley and Outwood East – Ward 15

Richard Copeland – Green Party

Darren Lumber – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Matthew Morley – Labour

Jenny Prest – Wakefield and District Independents

Margaret Woolmer – Conservatives

Wakefield East – Ward 16

Naeem Formuli – Conservative

Michael Griffiths – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Janet Mackintosh – Green Party

Natalie Walton – Labour

Wakefield North – Ward 17

Tom Griffiths – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ashton Howick – Green Party

Andy Mack – Yorkshire Party

Elizabeth Rhodes – Labour

Tim Woolmer – Conservative

Wakefield Rural – Ward 18

David Herdson – Yorkshire Party

Mark Lord – Liberal Democrats

Andy Nicholls – Labour

Karen Sadler – Green Party

Ian Sanders – Conservative

Wakefield South – Ward 19

Daniel Cochran – Yorkshire Party

Kate Dodd – Green Party

James Hardwick – Conservative

Shabaan Saleem – Labour

Wakefield West – Ward 20

Susan Hayes – Liberal Democrats

John Higson – Conservative

Hilary Mitchell – Labour

Susan Stretton – Heritage Party

Laura Towle – Green Party

Wrenthorpe and Outwood West – Ward 21

Waj Ali – Conservatives

David Dews – Reform UK

Brendan Fraser – Labour

Brent Hawksley – Yorkshire Party

Daniel Russell – Green Party

Nic Stansby – Wakefield and District Independents

Janet Walton – Liberal Democrats