CANDIDATES have been revealed for next month’s borough council elections could change the face of Colchester’s political landscape with a reduction in the number of councillors meaning all seats are up for grabs.

The number has gone down from 60 to 51 and the ward boundaries reshuffled to ensure the areas are more consistent.

Liberal Democrats have only put forward 38 prospective councillors and current council leader Paul Smith insisted the move was mostly tactical but they had wanted a candidate in Tiptree but submitted the papers too late.

He said: “It is done on the basis of us talking to local residents and tactically we are thinking what is the best chance of us gaining control of a seat?”

“I apologise to the residents of Tiptree who do not have a Liberal Democrat candidate to vote for.”

UKIP have put forward ten candidates and branch chairman Ron Levy said despite the party’s growing popularity, it was difficult to find people willing to commitment to being councillors.

He said: “People do not want to take on something they cannot fulfil.

“We would love to have candidates in every ward but we cannot get people to stand.”

As well as the established Highwoods Independents party, other candidates not aligned to particular political colours have sprung up in Wivenhoe and Greenstead.

Member of the Wivenhoe Indepedents Andrea Luxford-Vaughan said the group wanted to ensure the town was given a voice on important issues, including a possible garden settlement nearby.

She said: “The town needs to have a voice which is not party driven, but what is best for us.

“There will be some issues we do not have an opinion on but others we can deal with as and when they come up.”

Gazette:

Christopher Lee is running as an independent candidate in Greenstead.

He said: “I want to see if I can make a difference for my community.

“Greenstead has been treated as a pariah ward by Colchester Council for a long time and it is totally unjustified.”

Gazette:

Politics could become a family affair with mother and daughter Lesley and Jessica Scott-Boutell (Lib Dem) both standing in Stanway, while father and son Stephen and Thomas Rowe (Con) are candidates in Mile End.

Mile End will be a hotly contested ward with the Rowes and sitting councillor Ben Locker (Con), cabinet member Dominic Graham, local plan committee chairman Martin Goss and former Colchester United footballer Phillip Coleman (Lib Dem) and Colchester Labour Party chairman Elisa Vasquez-Walters.

Castle will be closely fought with cabinet member Bill Frame (Lib Dem), taking on sitting councillors Darius Laws (Con) and Jo Hayes (Lib Dem) with Parliamentary candidates in last year’s General Election Jordan Newell (Lab) and Mark Goacher (Green). Former cabinet member Nick Barlow (Lib Dem) also returns to politics.

For a full list of candidates, click here.