RIDING high on their recent successes in elections across the country, the UK Independence Party has announced a ticket of seven candidates for the upcoming Cambridgeshire County Council elections.

UKIP is hoping to makes gains in both Ely divisions, Soham, Burwell, Haddenham and Littleport as part of a marked increase in its presence in the district, though it chose not to contest seats in Sutton and Woodditton.

As ever, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties will be fielding candidates for every seat, with the Labour group also choosing to contest all wards.

The Green Party also has a presence this time around, fielding three candidates from its pool of support. The party will stand in both Ely wards and Haddenham.

City and district councillor Mike Rouse will be aiming to make it a hat-trick of seats as he contests the Ely North and East Division, a seat currently held by Nigel Bell of the Liberal Democrats.

A key battleground once again will be Haddenham, where incumbent councillor Bill Hunt, of the Conservatives, will vie for re-election against Liberal Democrat leader Gareth Wilson.

Mr Hunt has been heavily involved with the anti-parking charges campaign in Ely and has also been a key figure in the Croylands saga.

Former leader of the district council Fred Brown is standing for re-election in the Littleport ward, but he will face stiff competition from Daniel Divine of UKIP.

With John Powley standing down at this election, the Conservative party have put forward Joshua Schumann to stand with deputy East Cambs leader James Palmer in the two-seat Soham and Fordham division, a seat which features eight candidates, including two UKIP nominations.

Owner of Ely Marina Jeremy Tyrrell has thrown his name into the hat for the Ely South and West ward as a UKIP candidate and he will vie for the seat against incumbent Sue Austen, of the Lib Dems.

The election is due to take place on May 2.

Candidates

*denotes serving councillor

ELY NORTH AND EAST

Nigel Bell (Lib Dem)*

Clem Butler (Labour)

Peter Dawe (UKIP)

Robert Edwards (Green)

Mike Rouse (Con)

HADDENHAM

Rob Bayley (Labour)

Gemma Bristow (Green)

Mark Higginson (UKIP)

Bill Hunt (Con)*

Gareth Wilson (Lib Dem)

LITTLEPORT

Fred Brown (Con)*

Daniel Divine (UKIP)

Neil Morrison (Lib Dem)

Edna Simms (Labour)

SOHAM AND FORDHAM VILLAGES

Chika Akinwale (Lib Dem)

Dick Bourne (UKIP)

Chris Horne (Labour)

John Howlett (UKIP)

James Palmer (Con)*

Joshua Schumann (Con)

Mike Swift (Labour)

Charles Warner (Lib Dem)

SUTTON

Peter Allenson (Labour)

Lorna Dupre (Lib Dem)

Philip Read (Con)*

WOODDITTON

Jennifer Liddle (Lib Dem)

Steven O’Dell (Labour)

Mathew Shuter (Con)*

BURWELL

Michael Banahan (UKIP)

David Brown (Con)*

Charlotte Cane (Lib Dem)

Liz Swift (Labour)

ELY SOUTH AND WEST

Andrew Allen (Green)

Sue Austen (Lib Dem)*

Anna Bailey (Con)

Ruth Barber (Labour)

Jeremy Tyrrell (UKIP)