On May 6 all 16 wards will have a seat up for grabs in the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council elections - with Welham Green and Hatfield South ward having two.
Of the 17 seats up for election, there are 10 Conservative seats, four Labour seats and three Liberal Democrat seats.
The WHT has given each candidate the opportunity to tell you why they are running.
They are listed alphabetically by surname:
Peter Basford – Liberal Democrats (Didn't submit a photo)
"I am a retired Senior Principal Engineer from the Aerospace and Telecommunications industries. I have lived in Welwyn Hatfield since 1980 interrupted only by five years of secondment to France and then Italy.
"If elected I would fight to improve the local plan to better match new housing to real needs in terms of the number, type and distribution of new housing. Current proposals seem to be an overprovision, providing inner city type tower block flats concentrated in two towns and to ignore the possible effects on local traffic.
"Liberal Democrats wish also to be more ambitious in developing local policy on combating climate change and working with local business in finding practical ways to revitalise city centres while taking into account the continuing and accelerating concentration of shopping online and in supermarkets.
"We would also wish to address poor maintenance of some council homes and the failure to provide enough social rent homes in practice to match the planning intention."
Graham Beevers - Labour
"I moved into the Borough during the 90s and have made it a personal mission to go green by installing solar panels and using an electric car - changes I would like to see readily available across the borough.
"I have seen Brookmans Park becoming very overpopulated with vehicles especially during school times and feel the residents aren't being listened to with genuine concerns, this needs addressing.
"It can’t be right that for well over the last ten years residents have been expected to pay more, while getting less and less to show for it. If elected I will work to tackle the issues facing our community."
Stephen Boulton – Conservative
"I live in Brookmans Park and I have had the privilege of representing Brookmans Park & Little Heath ward at borough council for 22 years. This area includes Wildhill and Essendon as well.
"I am married with four grown up children, and now I’m retired from work in property consultancy I can fully devote my energies to helping the people I represent full time.
"I have an interest in planning and am keen to defend the green belt as far as possible during the Local Plan period whilst understanding the need of local people to be able to live and work in the borough. Housing is needed in the town centres as well as the villages but not at any cost.
"During my period as an executive member at the borough council, looking after the planning and environment portfolio, I have helped to make the borough a greener and more sustainable place in which to live."
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