Who is standing in today's local elections?

A third of council seats in Tameside are up for grabs as residents go the polls today.

One seat in each of the 19 wards is being contested with 72 candidates standing across the borough. Of the seats up for election, 17 are currently held by Labour and two by the Conservatives.

This year Ukip are putting forward five candidates, while the Green Party are contesting 18 seats. Labour and the Conservatives are standing in every seat, while the Liberal Democrats are challenging just four seats. Council leader Brenda Warrington is defending her seat in Denton West.

Grassroots party Stalybridge Town Party, which registered with the electoral commission last year, is contesting two wards – the Stalybridge North seat and Dukinfield/Stalybridge. And three independent candidates are seeking to challenge the major parties across the borough.

The Monster Raving Loony Party are fielding one candidate in the form of ‘F’Tang F’Tang’ Farmin Lord Dave,  who will challenge Labour for the Denton South ward.

Long-serving Conservative councillor, and leader of the Tory group, John Bell is stepping down from his Hyde Werneth seat. He was first elected to the council in 1975 – just one year after the metropolitan borough council was created. At his last full council meeting, Councillor Bell said it had been an ‘honour and a privilege’ to be an elected member of the Tameside authority.

“This is certainly the last time you will hear the cry ‘hear hear’ from John Bell in this chamber,” he concluded, and was met with a standing ovation as he took his seat for the final time.

Another council stalwart, Labour’s Mike Fowler, is also not seeking re-election in Denton South. He was first elected to the chamber in 2011. In Ashton Waterloo ward, incumbent Lorraine Whitehead is standing down after just one term in office. While in Audenshaw, Maria Bailey is also not contesting her seat after eight years as an elected member. And in Longdendale Ward, chair of the scrutiny committee Labour councillor Gillian Peet has chosen not to campaign for a third time.

The full list of candidates standing in Tameside elections is:

Ashton Hurst Ward 

Therese Jane Costello, Conservative

Mike Glover, Labour

Lorraine Ann Whitehead, Green

Ashton St. Michael’s Ward

Philip William Blakeney, Green

Karen Marie Brooks, Conservative

Yvonne Valerie Anne Cartey, Labour 

Ashton Waterloo Ward

Jean Catherine Drennan, Labour

Lee Alan Huntbach, Green

Irene Marsh, Conservative

Audenshaw Ward 

Peter Roy Harris, UKIP

Charlotte Elizabeth Martin, Labour

Danny Mather, Conservative

Denton North East Ward 

Dawn Lesley Cobb, Conservative

Allison Louise Gwynne, Labour

Benjamin Hart, Green

Denton South Ward 

F’Tang F’Tang Farmin Lord Dave, Official Monster Raving Loony Party

Aimee Louise Lumley, Conservative

Jack Jeremy Naylor, Labour

Jean Margaret Smee, Green

Denton West Ward

Thomas Anthony Dunne, Conservative

Daniel Owen Spence, Green

Brenda Warrington, Labour

Droylsden East Ward

Laura Maria Boyle, Labour

Hannah Mary Smee, Green

Matthew Oliver James Stevenson, Conservative

Droylsden West Ward

Dot Buckley, Conservative

Ann Joyce Holland, Labour

Maurice Jackson, UKIP

Annie Train, Green

Dukinfield Ward 

John Charles Taylor, Labour

Lucy Turner, Conservative 

Julie Wood, Green

Dukinfield Stalybridge Ward

Les Browning, Conservative

Linda Mary Freeman, Green

Dave McGovern, Stalybridge Town Party

David Jonathan Sweeton, Labour

Dave Tate, Independent

Hyde Godley Ward

Betty Affleck, Labour 

Andrea Alyson Jane Colbourne, Conservative

Alice Sarah Mason-Power, Liberal Democrats

Dawn Maxine Sheridan, UKIP

Keith Whitehead, Green

Hyde Newton Ward

Michael Baker, Green

Peter Stanley Ball-Foster, Liberal Democrats

Helen Theresa Bowden, Labour and Co-operative 

Michael James Gibbins, Conservative

Hyde Werneth Ward 

Shibley Alam, Labour

Paul Joseph Molloy, Conservative

Richard O’Brien, Liberal Democrats

Ian Johnathan Robinson, Green

Longdendale Ward 

Irene Brierley, Green

Graham Edward Doherty, Democrats and Veterans Party

Ben Frost, Conservative

Jacqueline Clair Owen, Labour

Lynne Christine Thompson, Liberal Democrats

Mossley Ward

Dean Tom Aylett, Independent

Christine Anne Clark, Green

Daniel Percival, Conservative

Taf Sharif, Labour 

St Peter’s Ward 

Matt Allen, Conservative

Trevor Clarke, Green Party

David McNally, Labour 

Stalybridge North Ward

David Fernley, Green

Josh Hughes, UKIP

Adrian James Pearce, Labour

Lee Grahame Stafford, Stalybridge Town Party

David Stephen Tilbrook, Conservative

Stalybridge South Ward

Jennifer Brayne, Independent

Amanda Jane Hickling, Green

Kerri Luke, UKIP

Clive Alistair Patrick, Conservative 

Hugh William Roderick, Labour