COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS: Your guide to the Harborough seats

Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour are fielding candidates in all seven local seats. Green candidates are standing in four seats, and UKIP in two.

Leicestershire County Council is responsible for transport strategies, overall planning, social care, waste management, public health and trading standards.

Although many county schools have become academies,independent of the council, it is still responsible for many aspects of education including adult education.

Its annual budget is around £350 million, and it employs the full-time equivalent of 5,000 people.

The county council has had its budget greatly reduced in recent years.

The council has had to make savings of £161 million since austerity started, and is still looking for a further £68 million in cuts.

But despite the huge cuts, Leicestershire County Council is still responsible for more than two-thirds of your council tax bill.

Altogether 55 councillors will be elected on May 4, representing seats right across Leicestershire, but excluding Leicester, which is a separate authority.

At the moment, Leicestershire County Council is Conservative-controlled.

The council is currently made up of 30 Conservative councillors, 13 Liberal Democrats, nine Labour, two UKIP and one Independent.

At the last county council elections in 2013, the Conservatives won 39.5 per cent of the vote, Labour 24.3 per cent, Liberal Democrats 19.2 per cent and UKIP 13.4 per cent.

The 27 candidates in the seven Harborough area county council seats are:

* Market Harborough West and Foxton (currently held by the Conservatives): Paul Bremner (Con); Peter James (Lib Dem); Ian Snaith (Lab); Darren Woodiwiss (Green).

* Market Harborough East (currently held by the Liberal Democrats): Jamie Ackerley (Green); Sarah Hill (Lib Dem); Phil King (Con); Andy Thomas (Lab).

* Lutterworth (currently held by the Conservatives): David Robert Frazer Gair (Lab); Rosita Page (Con); Martin Sarfas (Lib Dem).

* Gartree (currently held by the Conservatives): Ruth Commons (Lab); Kevin Feltham (Con); David Green (Green); James Francis Lindsay (Lib Dem); Brett Lynes (UKIP).

* Launde (currently held by the Liberal Democrats): Victor James Burbidge (UKIP); Paddy Casswell (Lab); Simon James Galton (Lib Dem); Karon Christina Phillips (Green); Simon Christopher Whelband (Con).

* Broughton Astley (currently held by the Conservatives): Bill Liqourish (Con); Sandra Parkinson (Lab); Colin Trevor Porter (Lib Dem).

* Bruntingthorpe (currently held by the Conservatives): Peter St Quintin Bridge (Lib Dem); Liz Marsh (Lab); Blake Pain (Con).

People can vote between 7am and 10pm on Thursday, May 4.