Residents in most of Tunbridge Wells will have the chance to vote for their next borough council representative at the elections on Thursday, May 6.

Tunbridge Wells operates a system where it elects one third of its 48 members each year, but last year's vote was postponed for a year because of Covid restrictions.

Resignations have added to the tally of seats available, and voters in 17 of the borough's 20 wards will now have the chance to return 19 new councillors between them.

There will be no election in the wards of Frittenden and Sissinghurst, Paddock Wood East or Southborough North, but two councillors will be returned for Speldhurst and Bidborough Ward, and for St James Ward.

The Conservatives have run the council since 1998 and they go into the election with a large majority over other individual parties: there are 26 Conservative councillors, nine Lib Dems, four Labour, four Tunbridge Wells Alliance and one Independent.

However, the Tories are also defending the largest number of seats, and need only lose a few to relinquish overall control.

As well as their usual rivals in the form of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties, the Conservatives are facing a challenge from eight Tunbridge Wells Alliance candidates - the citizen's party formed in 2018 out of opposition to the council's plans for its Calverley Square complex (since abandoned).

There are also two Ukip candidates and one from Reform UK, the former Brexit party founded by Nigel Farage and currently lead by Richard Tice.

The closing date for nominations has now passed. The Tunbridge Wells candidates are below:

Benenden and Cranbrook

Tom Gardner (Lib Dem)

James Groome (Lab)

Lee Hatcher (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Sean Holden (Con)

John Hurst (Green)

Toby Stripp (Reform UK)

Brenchley and Horsmonden

Alexis Bird (Lib Dem)

Kevin Kerrigan (Lab)

Jane March (Con)

James Spencer (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Louise Wilby (Green)

Broadwater

Marcus Chapman (Lab)

Barbara Cobbold (Con)

Alun Elder-Brown (Ukip)

Christopher Hall (Lib Dem)

Adrian Thorne (Green)

Capel

Wendy Day (Lab)

Christopher Hoare (Ukip)

Carol Mackonochie (Con)

Hugh Patterson (Lib Dem)

Christine Spicer (Green)

Culverden

Lucia Caligaris-Adams (Lab)

Maryna Cole (Con)

Justine Rutland (Lib Dem)

Goudhurst and Lamberhurst

Simon Fowler (Lab)

David Knight (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Geoffrey Mason (Green)

Barry Noakes (Con)

Quentin Rappoport (Lib Dem)

Hawkhurst and Sandhurst

Ana-Mari Draper (Lab)

Brian Guinnessy (Lib Dem)

Ellen Neville (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Beverley Palmer (Con)

Jo Williamson (Green)

Paddock Wood West

Trevor Bisdee (Green)

James Cole (Lib Dem)

Bill Hills (Con)

Raymond Moon (Lab)

Pantiles and St Mark’s

Lorna Blackmore (Lab)

Wendy Fitzsimmons (Lib Dem)

Evelien Hurst-Buist (Green)

Liam Randall (Con)

Park

Alasdair Fraser (Green)

Sue Pound (Lab)

Anne Sullivan (Lib Dem)

Suzie Wakeman (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Victoria White (Con)

Pembury

Yvonne Raptis (Lib Dem)

Paul Roberts (Con)

Angie Ward (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Paul Webster (Lab)

Rusthall

James Allen (Con)

Alex Britcher (Lab)

Angela Funnell (Lib Dem)

Aimee Taylor (Green)

St James

(2 seats)

Ben Chapelard (Lib Dem)

Thelma Huggett (Con)

Aleksander Klimanski (Lab)

Alexander Lewis-Grey (Con)

Rosie Mockett (Lab)

Rob Wormington (Lib Dem)

St John’s

Thomas Clowes-Pritchard (Con)

Peter Lidstone (Lib Dem)

Mike Tapp (Lab)

Sherwood

Alan Bullion (Lib Dem)

Lance Goodship (Con)

Shadi Rogers (Lab)

Southborough and High Brooms

Dianne Hill (Lab)

Anthony Hoskin (Green)

Nasir Jamil (Con)

Aqab Malik (Lib Dem)

Christine Marshall (Ukip)

Speldhurst and Bidborough

(2 seats)

Harry Allen (Con)

Anne Backshell (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

Martin Brice (Lib Dem)

Mille Gray (Lab)

Clare Himmer (Green)

Anne Musker (Lab)

Matthew Sankey (Tunbridge Wells Alliance)

David Stanyer (Con)

Jeremy Stirling (Lib Dem)

Elections for Kent County Council and for the Police and Crime Commissioner will be held on the same day.

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