Candidates officially revealed for the 2023 Calderdale Council elections - see who is standing in your area

Nominations have now closed and the candidates who will be contesting the borough’s 17 wards in the local elections on May 4, 2023, have been officially revealed.

This year 76 candidates will contest the 17 seats that are up for election,from across five parties and some independents.

Labour is defending ten seats, the Conservatives defending four and the Liberal Democrats two, with the independent councillor for Northowram and Shelf, Roger Taylor, stepping down this time.

Last year Labour retained overall control of Calderdale Council, the results leaving Labour on 28 seats, the Conservatives with 15, the Liberal Democrats on six, the Greens with one, and one Independent.

For the first time, when Calderdale voters go the the polls on May 4 to vote in the borough elections, they will need to show an accepted form of photographic ID at the polling station to receive a ballot paper.

The Government has opened the online portal for a new form of ID, known as the Voter Authority Certificate, for voters that do not already have an accepted form of photo ID.

Applications can be submitted through the online portal, at voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk – or by submitting a paper form to Calderdale Council’s Electoral Services at: Electoral Services, Mulcture House, Mulcture Hall Road, Halifax, HX1 1SP.

Those that have an accepted form of ID already do not need to apply. Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK or EEA drivers’ licence; and some, but not all, concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card.

Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

For those that do not have an accepted form of ID, the deadline to apply for free ID before the May elections is 5pm on April 25. Applicants must be registered to vote, and will need to provide their date of birth, National Insurance number, and a photograph with their application.

Ward-by-ward, here is who is standing this time around.

An * denotes sitting councillor and ** denotes new candidate for the party defending the seat – seven councillors from parties holding various seats are not standing for re-election.

Brighouse:

Kim Atkinson (Green); Stephen David Cockroft (Liberal Democrat); Frank Darnley (Labour); Brenda Monteith (Conservative) *; Gabriella Michelle Paterson (Freedom Alliance).

Calder:

Israr Ahmed (Labour) **; Diana Margaret Harris (Liberal Democrat); Helen Claire Lasham (Independent); Joseph Matthews (Conservative); Alan McDonald (Green).

Elland:

Barry Crossland (Green); Matthew Alan Leadbeater (Freedom Alliance); Vanessa Lee (Conservative); Richard Phillips (Liberal Democrat); David Veitch (Labour) **.

Greetland and Stainland:

Alex Greenwood (Conservative); Jacquelyn Haigh (Green); Sue Holdsworth (Liberal Democrat) *; Adrian Horton (Labour).

Hipperholme and Lightcliffe:

Sam Ackroyd (Labour); Elaine Hey (Green); David Kirton (Conservative) *; Jennie Rigg (Liberal Democrat).

Illingworth and Mixenden:

Laura Beesley (Green); Steph Clarke (Labour) *; Sean Loftus (Independent); Stephen Padgett (Conservative); Alexander Parsons-Hulse (Liberal Democrat).

Luddenden Foot:

Christine Bampton-Smith (Liberal Democrat); Katie Kimber (Labour) **; Jill Smith-Moorhouse (Conservative); Kate Sweeny (Green).

Northowram and Shelf:

Stephen Baines (Conservative); Khuram Majid (Labour); Philip White (Liberal Democrat); Dan Wood (Green). Seat was held by Independent (not contesting seat this time).

Ovenden:

Sean Bamforth (Liberal Democrat); Stuart Cairney (Lab) *; Finn Jensen (Green); Chris Matejak (Conservative).

Park:

Catherine Graham (Green); Rahat Khan (Labour) **; Abdul Rehman (Liberal Democrat); Shakir Saghir (Conservative); Craig James Michael Withers (Independent).

Rastrick:

Francesca Maxie Carr (Liberal Democrat); Corrine Henderson (Freedom Alliance); Peter Judge (Labour); Matthew Lawson (Green); Chris Pillai (Conservative) *.

Ryburn:

Freda Davis (Green); Felicity Issott (Conservative) *; Samuel James Jackson (Liberal Democrat); Michael Ogden (Freedom Alliance); David Wager (Labour).

Skircoat:

Mike Barnes (Labour) *; Kathleen Haigh-Hutchinson (Liberal Democrat); Peter Hunt (Conservative); Mark Mullany (Green).

Sowerby Bridge:

Simon Ashton (Labour) **; David Booth (Green); Mark Edwards (Conservative); Thomas Stringfellow (Liberal Democrat).

Todmorden:

Silvia Dacre (Lab) *; Mark Holmes (Conservative); Kieran Turner (Green); Christopher Wadsworth (Liberal Democrat).

Town:

Elliott Hey (Green); Anne-Marie Miles (Conservative); Tim Swift (Lab) *; Rosemary Tatchell (Liberal Democrat).

Warley:

Ash Ashfaq (Labour); Abigail Carr (Liberal Democrat) **; Martin Robert Davies (Freedom Alliance); Vishal Gupta (Conservative); Katie Witham (Green).

Polling day for the local elections In neighbouring Bradford Council district is also on Thursday May 4. Here’s who is standing in areas on the fringe of Calderdale:

Queensbury:

Eithne Dodwell (Green); Robert Paul Hargreaves (Independent); Alex Mitchell (Labour); Adam Luke Paterson (Conservative); Mary Whitrick (Liberal Democrat).

Wyke:

Sarah Ferriby (Labour); Kevin Anthony Hall (Liberal Democrat); James Graham Lewthwaite (British Democrats); Malcolm Arthur Mclean (Conservative); Darren James Parkinson (Green); Ian Walker (Reform UK)