Sandwell Council 2024 local election candidates revealed - see the full list here

A third of Sandwell Council’s seats will be up for grabs on Thursday, May 2 with results shaping up to impact both sides of the chamber.

Labour currently boasts a huge majority on Sandwell Council and will be defending 18 of the 24 seats set to be contested next month.

The main opposition, the Conservatives, are represented by just eight seats – half of which will be on the line next month.

The council’s Labour leader Kerrie Carmichael is also defending her Blackheath seat with two of the Labour-run authority’s cabinet members, Peter Hughes and Charn Singh Padda, defending their respective Wednesbury North and Tipton Green seats.

The current political makeup of the council sees Labour on top with 59 seats, with the Conservatives represented by eight councillors. There are currently three independent councillors and two non-aligned councillors.

One of the non-aligned councillors, Hateley Heath ward councillor Kacey Akpoteni, quit Labour last year and will not be defending her seat. Laura Rollins, the council’s cabinet member for housing, will not be standing for re-election in West Bromwich Central.

Old Warley councillor Jay Anandou, who quit the Conservatives earlier this year and remained on the council as an independent, will not be seeking re-election.

The former Tory leader Laured Kalari is standing as an independent candidate to defend his Rowley seat. Wade Taylor was mysteriously pulled as Labour’s candidate in Rowley at the last minute and replaced by Sohail Iqbal.

Archer Williams, who won in Princes End in 2021 as a Conservative candidate, will be defending his seat – but this time for a different party having crossed the floor and joined Labour at the start of the year.

Labour and the Conservatives will be standing candidates in all 24 wards with Reform UK fielding 18 candidates. The Green Party has selected 15 candidates, the Liberal Democrats will be represented by 14 candidates, the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition have put forward six candidates, there are five independents, one UKIP candidate, and one candidate representing the Yeshua Party.

The full list of candidates by ward:

Abbey

Thomas Blewitt, Conservative

Nicky Hinchliff, Labour

Justin Macintosh, Trade Union and Socialist Coalition

Roderick MacRorie, Green

Blackheath

Kerrie Carmichael, Labour

Mike Cooper, Reform UK

Bob Dunn, Conservative

Aldo Mussi, Green

Craig Taylor, Independent

Bristnall

Gemma Barnfield, Conservative

Chris Clemson, Reform UK

Ellen Fenton, Labour

Clive Heywood, Liberal Democrat

Grove Vale

Dalel Singh Bhamra, Labour

Usha Rani Braich, Liberal Democrat

David Fisher, Conservative

Sam Harding, UKIP

Graham Nock, Reform UK

Jeremy Parker, Green

Cradley Heath and Old Hill

Leon Barnfield, Conservative

Nicholas Bradley, Liberal Democrat

Paul Connor, Green

Cammilla Mngaza, Trade Union and Socialist Coalition

Ballie Singh, Reform UK

Vicki Smith, Labour

Friar Park

Scott Chapman, Conservative

Elizabeth Giles, Labour