Candidates for May 4 county council election announced

CONSERVATIVE and Labour are the only political parties to field a full set of candidates in Teesdale and the Gaunless Valley for the Durham County Council elections.
The ballot takes place on May 4.
Barnard Castle West is the least contested of the three divisions in Teesdale, with current county councillors Ted Henderson and Richard Bell, both Conservative, going up against Labour Party candidates Frank Roche and George Smith.
The conservatives won a by-election in the division, which stretches from Barnard Castle to upper Teesdale, in May 2015 with a majority of about 1,500 votes.
The vote in the last county election, in 2013, in the Barnard Castle East ward was closer.
Conservative county councillors James Rowlandson and George Richardson took 991 and 771 votes, ahead of Labour candidates Thomas Caygill who took 566 votes and Graham Young who received 562.
UKIP secured 481 votes during that election.
Cllrs Rowlandson and Richardson are once again contesting the two seats in the division along with Labour candidates Mark Kelsey and Emma Rowell, and independent candidate Thom Robinson.
Current Evenwood ward county councillors Heather Smith and Andy Turner, both Labour, are standing for re-election. Contesting the two available seats will be Stephen Hugill and James Cosslett, both Conservative, and Alan Breeze of UKIP.
Cllr Smith won her Evenwood seat in a by-election in October 2014 with 546 votes, ahead of Stephen Hugill on 396 votes and Graham Casey of UKIP with 309 votes.