Wakefield local elections 2023: Full list of candidates revealed

Voters will go to the polls on Thursday, May 4 when a third of Wakefield Council seats – 21 in total – will be contested.

Fifteen seats will be contested by serving councillors. Six councillors are standing down.

There will be no Conservative candidate standing in Ossett after Coun Angela Taylor withdrew her nomination on the day of the candidates’ deadline.

The Mayor of Wakefield David Jones (Pontefract South) is standing down after eight years as an elected member.

Lib Dem group leader Tom Gordon (Knottingley) is also standing down. Coun Gordon has been selected as the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election.

The three other councillors standing down are Ian Womersley (Hemsworth), David Dagger (Normanton) and Pat Garbutt (Pontefract North).

Coun Karl Johnson is aiming to defend his seat in Wakefield South after joining Wakefield and District Independents. Coun Johnson was elected as a Conservative but quit the party earlier this year.

Labour and The Green Party are competing in every seat, with the Tories standing in all but one of the wards.

The Lib Dems have candidates in ten wards, while the newly-formed Wakefield and District independents have seven.

The Yorkshire Party are fielding seven candidates and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition are fielding three candidates.

There are three independent candidates across the 21 wards.

Two candidates are standing for Reform UK and there is one Social Democratic Party candidate.

Familiar names back on the ballot paper include former long-standing councillor Olivia Rowley, who is standing for Labour in Ossett.

>Ms Rowley was deselected as the Labour candidate for Wakefield East before last year’s elections.

Former Conservative group leader Nic Stansby is the Wakefield and District Independents candidate for Wrenthorpe and Outwood West.

Sixteen of the 21 seats up for election are held by Labour, three are held by the Tories, one by the Lib Dems and one independent.

Labour is currently the ruling group on the council with 45 seats. The Conservatives have ten, the Lib Dems have three and there are five independent councillors.

Residents have until midnight on April 17 to make sure they are registered to vote.If people are going to be on holiday, working away from home or find it difficult to get to a polling station they can apply for a postal or proxy vote.

But they must first ensure they are registered to vote, before making an application.

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 Tuesday April 18.

Anyone needing help should call 01924 305023 or email:[email protected]

Photographic identification is now required to vote at a polling station, this includes passports, driving licences, bus passes and disabled badges.

The full list of all acceptable documents is available at http://electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID

For more information visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/elections

All candidates, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton – Ward 1

Jessica Carrington – LabourJody Gabriel – Green PartyGwen Marshall – Independent candidateArthur Miles – Reform UKChad Thomas – Conservatives

Airedale and Ferry Fryston – Ward 2

Richard Heaps – Liberal DemocratsKeith Hudson – ConservativesJohn Ingham – Green PartyNeil Kennedy – Wakefield District IndependentsLes Shaw – Labour

Altofts and Whitwood – Ward 3

Katherine Dodd – Green PartyJo Hepworth – LabourAmy Swift – ConservativesJohn Thomas – Wakefield District Independents

Castleford Central and Glasshoughton – Ward 4

Stephen Brennan – Green PartyPaul Phelps – Yorkshire PartyJoanne Smart – ConservativesTony Wallis – LabourJanet Walton – Liberal Democrats

Crofton, Ryhill and Walton – Ward 5

Connor Clayton – ConservativesDaniel Cochran – Yorkshire PartyMaureen Cummings – LabourGarry Newby – Green Party

Featherstone – Ward 6

James Hardwick – ConservativesAshton Howick – Green PartyGraham Isherwood – Labour

Hemsworth – Ward 7

Liz Cowton – ConservativesLyn Morton – Green PartyJakob Williamson – Labour

Horbury and South Ossett – Ward 8

Simon Fishwick – ConservativesMark Goodair – Liberal DemocratsRichard Norris – Green PartyGwen Page – Labour

Knottingley – Ward 9

Theo Biddle – LabourRuth Love – Green PartyEamonn Mullins – ConservativesRachel Speak – Liberal Democrats

Normanton – Ward 10

John Clayton – Green PartyNigel Ebbs – Liberal DemocratsArmaan Khan – LabourCliff Parsons – Wakefield and District IndependentsLaura Weldon – Conservatives

Ossett – Ward 11

Simon Biltcliffe – Yorkshire PartyDeano Kitchen – Independent candidateOlivia Rowley – LabourTony Sargeant – Liberal DemocratsStephen Scott – Green Party

Pontefract North – Ward 12

Hannah Appleyard – LabourLeah Birdsall – Liberal DemocratsChristopher Dawson – Yorkshire PartyChristopher Hyomes – ConservativesEmma Kay – Green Party

Pontefract South – Ward 13

Arnie Craven – ConservativesSusan Hayes – Liberal DemocratsTrevor Lake – Social Democratic PartyBrian Mayhew – LabourOliver Watkins – Green Party

South Elmsall and South Kirkby – Ward 14

Stefan Ludewig – Green PartyPerpertua Ruzvidzo – ConservativesSteve Tulley – Labour

Stanley and Outwood East – Ward 15

Richard Copeland – Green PartyBrent Hawksley – Yorkshire PartyJack Hemingway – LabourDarren Lumber – Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionJenny Prest – Wakefield and District IndependentsKully Sanghera – Conservatives

Wakefield East – Ward 16

Mick Griffiths – Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionHuhammad Hayat – ConservativesStuart Heptinstall – LabourJanet Mackintosh – Green PartyMatt Wilson – Independent candidate

Wakefield North – Ward 17

Tom Griffiths – Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionAngela Holwell – ConservativesMargaret Isherwood – LabourAndy Mack – Yorkshire PartyDaniel Russell – Green Party

Wakefield Rural – Ward 18

Jordan Bryan – LabourDavid Herdson – Yorkshire PartyMark Lord – Liberal DemocratsKaren Sadler – Green PartyIan Sanders – Conservatives

Wakefield South – Ward 19

Naeem Formuli – ConservativesKrys Holmes – Green PartyKarl Johnson – Wakefield and District IndependentsKatrina Law – Labour

Wakefield West – Ward 20

Lewis Elliot – Green PartyChristine Gill – Wakefield District IndependentsMichael Graham – LabourNick Hannam – Conservatives

Wrenthorpe and Outwood West – Ward 21

Waj Ali – ConservativesNatasha De Vere – Liberal DemocratsDavid Dews – Reform UKCharlie Keith – LabourNic Stansby – Wakefield and District IndependentsOliver Thompson – Green Party