THE candidates for the upcoming parish council elections have been announced.

At one point there were fears that the new parish councils might have to be filled with councillors chosen by the borough but in the end the electoral services team was inundated with nomination forms.

However, hopes that the parishes could operate unencumbered by the constraints of party politics have not materialised with a majority of the candidates standing on behalf of either the Conservatives, Labour or the Liberal Democrats.

UKIP also has four candidates in parishes across the town while the Green Party has fielded three.

Independents in their various guises make up just over 20 per cent of the total number.

With the nominations now submitted, the candidates will soon begin their campaigns ahead of polling day on May 4.

But the battle to get elected will be significantly easier in some wards than in others.

In the Moredon ward of Central Swindon North for example, there is only one name on the ballot — Labour’s Steve Henderson.

While in Eastcott ward in Central Swindon South, there are 15 candidates — five from the Labour Party, five Liberal Democrats, three Conservatives and two independents.

Voting itself will be a strange experience for many because while in a few wards they will only be asked to tick the box for a single candidate, in other areas they will be able to tick many more times.

In St Andrew’s parish, for example, voters will be able to select up to 11 out of more than 20 candidates.

Of the 155 candidates who will appear on the respective ballot papers, 55 are Labour, 43 Conservative, 16 Liberal Democrat, four UKIP, three Green and 34 either described as independent, unaffiliated or with some other non-mainstream party label.

Polling cards for the upcoming election will be sent out this weekend.

Many people will have registered ahead of the EU referendum last year and providing they have not moved and that they completed their canvassing form sent out last summer, they will still be registered.

However, Sally Sprason, Swindon Borough Council’s electoral services manager, has encouraged residents to go online and re-register just to make sure.

The deadline for registration is April 13.

The Swindon Advertiser will be profiling the many candidates standing for election in the coming weeks as we move towards election day.