Meet the candidates: Worthing Borough Council elections

The Conservatives will be defending eight seats, with new candidates standing in Selden and Heene after councillors Paul Howard and Roger Oakley decided to step down.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Broadwater Vicky Taylor is also stepping aside after four years, while new Tory leader Dan Humphreys has opted to switch from Castle to Offington.

A Castle seat was captured by UKIP in August, following the loss of Lib-Dem David Potter, thrown off the council for failing to attend a single meeting in six months.

Independent Graham Fabes was due to stand for re-election in Offington but will not contest the seat.

Deputy leader Bryan Turner is seeking re-election in Gaisford, as is Goring’s Roy Barraclough, former leader Paul Yallop in Marine and Salvington’s Noel Atkins.

Conservative cabinet member for environment Clive Roberts faces a tough battle in Central, after last year’s election saw Green candidate James Doyle edge Conservative Alex Harman out by a margin of nine votes.

The Green Party will be hopeful of securing a second councillor in Heene, coming second in last year’s vote to the Tories.

Heene could become a father-and-son double act, with Joshua High, son of councillor Paul High, standing for the Conservatives.

Tarring ward will be an intriguing contest, with Labour candidate and NCP saga critic Jim Deen up against veteran incumbent and fellow parliamentary hopeful Hazel Thorpe.

The Conservatives will hope to break the Lib-Dem stronghold, fielding major Tom Wye, who resigned from the council in protest over the handling of the NCP legal dispute last year.

The current council composition is 27 Conservative councillors, six Lib-Dem, two UKIP, one Green and one independent.

A third of the council is up for election each year, meaning there will be no change in the Conservative’s overall majority. The Tory’s main opposition party could change, however.

The candidates:

Key:

Con: Conservative Party

Green: Green Party

Lab: Labour Party

Lib: Liberal Democrats

UKIP: United Kingdom Independence Party

*: Currently elected in that ward

BROADWATER

Tony Anderson (UKIP)

John Apsey (Lib)

Richard Battson (Green)

Nigel Morgan (Con)

John Turley (Lab)

CASTLE

Lionel Harman (Con)

Pauline James (UKIP)

Trudi Starling (Lib)

Ian Walker (Lab)

Julian Warrick (Green)

CENTRAL

Christine Allen (Lib)

Trevor England (UKIP)

Michelle Harfield (Lab)

Daniel Parsonage (Green)

Clive Roberts* (Con)

GAISFORD

John Harwood (UKIP)

Dimitri Seirlis (Lib)

Joseph Thornton (Lab)

Bryan Turner* (Con)

Rosemarie Turner (Green)

GORING

Roy Barraclough* (Con)

David Elford (Lib)

Peggy Harris (Lab)

Samuel Lovely (Green)

David Smith (UKIP)

HEENE

Geoff Brown (UKIP)

Michael Cranefield (Lib)

Joshua High (Con)

Richard Mulholland (Lab)

Stefan Sykes (Green)

MARINE

Kirk Dickenson (UKIP)

Michael Finch (Lib)

Katy Parsonage (Green)

Alex Wagstaff (Lab)

Paul Yallop* (Con)

OFFINGTON

Daniel Humphreys (Con)

Pat Izod (Lib)

Jed Smith (Lab)

John Strange (UKIP)

Anne Weinhold (Green)

SALVINGTON

Noel Atkins* (Con)

Jacqueline Cranefield (Lib)

Jill Guest (Lab)

Mike Jelliss (UKIP)

SELDEN

Graham Adams (UKIP)

Mike Barrett (Lab)

Valerie Ellis (Green)

Alex Harman (Con)

Yvonne Leonard (Lib)

TARRING

Jim Deen (Lab)

Ross Johnson (Green)

Adrian Price (UKIP)

Hazel Thorpe* (Lib)

Tom Wye (Con)