Candidates for Lewes District Council elections announced

The authority has undergone a review with the number of seats staying the same at 41 but some boundaries being redrawn and names changed.

All seats will be up for election on Thursday May 2.

Both councillors for Lewes Bridge Lib Dem Will Elliott and Green Joanna Carter are not standing again.

Lib Dem Mike Chartier is also not seeking re-election in Lewes Castle.

Meanwhile in Lewes Priory Tony Rowell, convenor of the Green group, is not standing this time around.

Conservative Bill Bovington is not standing again in Seaford South, while Tony Nicholson, cabinet member for customers and partners, is not seeking re-election in Seaford East.

Seaford North is guaranteed to elect two new councillors as neither Lib Dem Alex Lambert nor Conservative Paul Franklin, cabinet member for waste and recycling, are standing again.

Conservative Linda Wallraven is also stepping aside in Seaford West.

Newhaven Valley and Newhaven Denton and Meeching will be renamed Newhaven North and Newhaven South.

Steve Saunders, who has recently quit the Lib Dems, will be standing as an independent, while fellow independent councillor Simon Barnes has not put his name forward.

Vic Ient, who has also left the Lib Dems to go independent, will not be seeking re-election in Kingston.

In Peacehaven only two of six councillors are standing again in the town.

Conservatives Jackie Harrison-Hicks in Peacehaven East, Elayne Merry, deputy leader and cabinet member for people and performance, and Andy Lorraine both in Peacehaven North are all standing down.

Independent Dave Neave, who currently represents Peacehaven West, is standing in East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs this time.

Lib Dem Peter Gardiner, who chairs the council’s scrutiny committee, is not standing again in Ouse Valley and Ringmer.

Conservative Jim Sheppard is not standing again in Newick, while Wivelsfield will be a stand-alone one member ward.

Chailey will merge with Barcombe & Hamsey and be a two-member ward.

Sarah Osborne, leader of the Lib Dem group, is another councillor not standing again in Plumpton Streat East Chiltington & St John Without.

The Conservatives are standing 41 candidates, Greens 39, Lib Dems 30, Labour 26, independents 11 and UKIP five.

For a full list of candidates visit the council’s website.