THREE people will contest a seat on Bewdley Town Council in a by-election which was called after a Conservative councillor resigned in February.

Labour’s Nigel Knowles, Conservative Roger Coleman and ICHC’s Anne Mace will go head to head for the Bewdley West seat, which had been held by Conservative Stephen Clee, who quit due to work pressure and other committments.

A total of 17 new Wyre Forest parish councillors will be taking office without being put up for the vote on Thursday, May 5, due to the number of candidates being fewer or equal to the number of seats. Councillors taking office in uncontested elections are:

Broome: Mark Billingham, Don Billington, David Clement, Stephen Downing, David Pheysey, Neal Shipley and Nicola Speakman.

Churchill: Pauline Hayward, Roy Keys and Brian Pitt.

Cookley: Linda Blakemore (Labour), Dean Cox (Labour), Joanne Cox (Labour), Carole Lewis (Labour), Barry McFarland (Labour), Paul Mills (Labour) and Christopher Nicholls (Labour).

Parishes holding elections are:

Bewdley West (1 seat - by-election): Roger Coleman (Conservative), Nigel Knowles (Labour) and Anne Mace (ICHC).

Blakedown (6 seats): Sallyann Cartwright, Marie Charles, Simon Charman, Peter Dearden, Timothy Gardiner, James Long, Primrose Coley, Roger Shade and Mark Swindells.

Stourport Areley Kings East (3 seats): Lin Henderson (Conservative), Vi Higgs (Labour), Glenys Holden (Conservative), Reg Knott (Labour), James Shaw (Labour), Chris Thomas (ICHC)Lynne Wainewright (ICHC) and Christopher Williams (Conservative).

Stourport Areley Kings West (3 seats): Maurice Baylis (ICHC), Ken Henderson (Conservative), Rob Lloyd (Labour), Maureen Mason (Conservative), John Thomas (ICHC), Nigel Thomas (ICHC) and Rebecca Williams (Conservative).

Stourport Central (3 seats): Julie Bennett (ICHC), Kerrie Birch (Conservative), Bernadette Connor (Labour), Bill Jones (UKIP), Chris Rogers (Conservative), Gill Smith (ICHC), Juliet Smith (Conservative), Gary Talbot (ICHC) and Carol Warren, (Labour).

Stourport Lickhill (3 seats): William Franklin (Labour), Eddie King (Conservative), Barry McFarland (Labour), Jim Parish (ICHC), Wayne Sheldon (Conservative), Dixon Sheppard (ICHC), Janice Sheppard (ICHC) and Greta Smith (Conservative).

Stourport North (3 seats): David Keogh-Smith (Labour), David Little (Conservative), Nicky Martin (ICHC), Julian Phillips (Conservative), George Smith (Conservative) and Gary Watson, (Labour).

Stourport Stour and Wilden (3 seats): Clifford Brewer (ICHC), Mike Freeman (Conservative), John Holden (Conservative), Gren Jones (Labour), Tom King (Labour) and Michael Salter (Conservative).

Wolverley (7 seats): Trevor Botterill (Independent), Robin Drew (Independent), John Hart (Conservative), Malcolm Hazelwood, Neil Dukes (UKIP), Charles Sherrey (Conservative), Richard Sherrey (Independent), Peter Smith (Conservative) and Michael Wrench, (UKIP).