Dudley Council has fired the starting gun on the next phase of 2024’s local elections by confirming all the candidates.

The vote takes place on May 2 and it’s all to play for with every seat on the council up for grabs. Labour and Conservative are fielding a full house of 72 candidates with three in each of the authority’s 24 wards.

The Lib Dems are next with 29 candidates and targeting plenty of resources in areas where they feel confident around the wards of Lye and Stourbridge North, Pedmore and Stourbridge East plus Cradley North and Wollescote.

The Lib Dems have already announced they would not be putting up candidates in the north of the borough in order to avoid taking Conservative votes from a group of independent candidates which includes two current councillors who were formerly Tory members of the authority.

The Green Party launched their campaign on April 6 and is putting up 21 candidates in 15 wards with a promise to focus on a variety of issues including tackling the climate emergency and providing more social housing.

Dudley Green Party chair James Windridge said: “When you vote Green on 2nd May, you will get hard working councillors committed to doing the best for local people and putting forward solutions to help create a fairer, greener community in our towns.”

Reform UK is putting up three candidates, one each in Gornal, St James’s and Upper Gornal and Woodsetton. The party stands for tough immigration, lower taxes and cutting health service waiting lists.

There are a total of 16 independent candidates in the running for seats with voters in the Kingswinford South ward having a choice of four non-aligned hopefuls all vying for a cross against their name.

There are two other groups represented in the 2024 Dudley elections.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is putting up three candidates, one each in Brierley Hill and Wordsley South, Cradley North and Wollescote and St Thomas’s.

Ken Moore is the solitary candidate for the Freedom Alliance party, he is hoping to win a seat in the hotly contested Wollaston and Stourbridge Town ward.