County council elections: All the candidates standing in the Harborough wards this May

Residents will head to the polls on Thursday, May 1, and all council seats are up for grabs in this year’s local election.

The authority has been under the continuous control of the Conservative Party since 2001. While there have been periods where no one party held sufficient seats to be in overall control of the authority, no other political party has ever seen enough councillors elected to form a majority on the council since its current structure was set up in 1974.

At the last county council election in May 2021, the Conservatives won 42 of the 55 available seats. The Liberal Democrats took nine seats, and the Labour Party saw four councillors elected. This year, the Conservatives, Labour, the Greens and Reform UK have put forward a candidate for every available seat, while the Liberal Democrats have put forward a candidate for all but one of them.

This year’s election comes against a backdrop of democratic uncertainty for the county. Leicestershire leaders submitted last month their initial proposals in response to Government demands for a radical shake-up of local governance structures.

Whitehall wants areas which have two tiers of local government, such as the county, to be reduced to a single-tier set up – a move which would effectively see the district and borough councils axed. That does not mean, however, that there can only be one council for the county of Leicestershire – a key point of disagreement between those at the top of the county council and those leading Leicestershire’s seven district and borough councils.

Local chiefs have also voiced strong disagreement with Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby’s proposals to see city borders expanded. The restructure is expected to be a focus of this election, with this year’s cohort of county councillors and leaders set to play a key role in putting forward the final plans for the future make-up of Leicestershire politics. Final plans need to be put to the Government in November.

Beyond that, county councillors play a key role in wider decision making for Leicestershire. The county authority oversees a number of strategic areas, including the county’s waste sites, social care, major planning decisions and highways matters. They are also involved in the process of ensuring the council’s budget is in order and setting council tax rates for coming years.

Residents need to register to vote by the end of Friday, April 11. ID is required on polling day to be able to vote, with passports and driving licences among the valid forms of identification.

Leicestershire’s district and borough councils, along with Leicester City Council, all went to the polls in 2023. They are not scheduled for an election this year.

Here are the county council candidates for the Harborough district:

Broughton Astley

• BANNISTER, Neil – The Conservative Party Candidate
• BONHAM, Dannielle – Green Party
• GRAVES, Mark Simon – Liberal Democrats
• PARKINSON, Sandra – Labour and Co-operative Party
• PIPER, Bill – Reform UK

Bruntingthorpe

• BATEMAN, Jonathan Francis – The Conservative Party Candidate
• FOWLER, Harrison – Reform UK
• MACINTYRE, Paul – Labour Party
• SANDERS, Mandy – Green Party
• WALKLEY, Stephen James Crozier – Liberal Democrat

Gartree

• AUSTIN, Jonny – Reform UK
• JAMES, Debbie Anne Louise – Green Party
• KING, Phil – The Conservative Party Candidate
• LINDSAY, James Francis – Liberal Democrats
• WISEMAN, Leigh – Labour Party

Launde

• CASSIDY, Colleen Marie – Labour Party
• CLARKE, Nigel Paul – Reform UK
• CRANKSHAW, Jack Thomas – The Conservative Party Candidate
• GALTON, Simon James – Liberal Democrat Focus Team
• WAKLEY, Melanie Jayne – Green Party

Lutterworth

• CULLEN, Martin – Labour Party
• PAGE, Rosita – The Conservative Party Candidate
• SARFAS, Martin – Reform UK
• SODHA, Asit – Liberal Democrats
• TIIVAS, Carl Albert – Green Party

Market Harborough East

• CHAMPION, Barry – The Conservative Party Candidate
• HILL, Sarah – Liberal Democrat
• MORGAN, Mary Scott – Green Party
• PANTER, Maria – Labour Party
• WALTON, Barry – Reform UK

Market Harborough West and Foxton

• ASHER, Jo – Liberal Democrat
• HATFIELD, Nick – Reform UK
• PAGE, David John – The Conservative Party Candidate
• PANTER, Mark – Labour Party
• WHALEN, Peter – Communist Party of Britain
• WOODIWISS, Darren Neil – Green Party