The three biggest political parties – the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats – are fielding candidates for most of the Hatfield Town Council elections this Thursday.

The 10 different wards will elect between one to three town councillors, depending on their size.

Then the 15 elected councillors will vote for the new mayor, deputy mayor and leader of the council.

Currently Labour councillors Jack Nelson, John Fitzpatrick and Lenny Brandon serve as the town mayor, deputy mayor and leader of the council, in that order.

Cllr Nelson and Cllr Brandon will be running again in the upcoming elections, while Cllr Fitzpatrick is stepping down due to personal reasons.

Currently there are nine Labour councillors, four Conservatives and two independents.

The town council is responsible for managing the allotments in the area, grants to voluntary organisations, some planning applications and other areas of interest in Hatfield.

How to vote?

The election of town councillors will take place this Thursday, May 2, with polling stations open between the hours of 7am and 10pm across the 10 different wards.

If you have registered to the electoral roll you should have recieved your polling card.

An administrative hiccup earlier this year saw 10,000 polling cards with the wrong wards on them get sent to the borough’s residents.

The council has sent out corrected cards, but to remove any doubt you can check hvia www.welhat.gov.uk/elections/poll-cards.

You don’t need to take your polling card with you to vote.

Who’s standing?

For each ward we’ve put the candidates in alphabetical order and said how many are being elected per ward.

Briars (two seats)

Mandy Boxer (L)

Hazel Marlon Laming (LD)

Lee Newman (L)

Central(two seats)

Michelle Angela Kirk (LD)

Keith Graham Norman (C)

John William Percival (L)

Bhumi Zhaveri (L)

East (three seats)

Graham Martyn Beevers (L)

Mark Alan Bolitho (C)

Jackie Brennan (LD)

Vincent Bryan Coen (C)

Caron Anne Juggins (C)

Phil Knott (L)

Gemma May Louise Moore (LD)

Jack Nelson (L)

Ellenbrook (one seat)

Richard Carl Brisbin (C)

Shelia Beryl Jones (L)

Matthew John Quenet (LD)

Meadows (one seat)

Kerstin Birgit Holman-Schmidt (C)

Linda Elizabeth Mendez (L)

Helen Quenet (LD)

Newgate Street (one seat)

Shelia Ann Barrett (L)

Ayesha Rohale (LD)

Tristan Peter Hugh Wiltshire (C)

South (one seat)

Jack Adams (C)

James Robert Alan Broach (L)

Richard Hedley Griffiths (LD)

South-West (one seat)

Lenny Brandon (L)

Aaron Steven Edward Jacob (C)

Paul Mark Zukowsky (LD)

Villages (two seats)

John Richard Eames-Petersen (L)

Margaret Anne Eames-Petersen (L)

Angus Mackay (C)

Steve McNamara (C)

Nigel Alan Quinton (LD)

Wildhill (one seat)

Michael Anscombe (LD)

Rory Alexander Craig (C)

Jasmine Hayes (L)