Walsall Council elections: Full list of candidates standing in this year's poll

This year's local elections in the borough take place against a backdrop of ongoing infighting among the ruling Conservatives.

Long-time leader Mike Bird survived an attempt by Streetly councillor Suky Samra to topple him in 2022 and is prepared for another challenge from the same foe following this year's poll.

However the situation has been complicated by Mr Samra's suspension from the Conservative group while he is under investigation over alleged discrepancies in his declaration of interests.

Mr Bird, who was first elected in 1980, will be defending his Pheasey Park Farm seat for the 11th time at these elections.

Tory sources suggest the party – which runs the council with a healthy majority – could lose up to three seats this year.

Short Heath is expected to be tight, as is Paddock, where Waheed Rasab will be up against former Tory councillor David Alexander, who is now an independent.

Labour gained support in both wards last year.

Among the current Tory councillors up for re-election are Gaz Ali, who won Birchills-Leamore by 78 votes in 2019; Pard Kaur (Aldridge Central and South); Colin Statham (Bloxwich East); Adam Hicken (Willenhall North); Matt Follows (Bloxwich West) and Ken Ferguson (Brownhills).

In Darlaston South Suky Samra's brother, Pally Samra, is standing, while Councillor Sarah-Jane Cooper is moving over from Short Heath to contest Streetly.

Meanwhile in Rushall-Shelfield Conservative councillor Lorna Rattigan will face off against Labour's Lee Jeavons, the former Birchills-Leamore councillor who went viral a few years ago after posting footage of himself dancing on TikTok while a Blue Badge holder.

For Labour, Saiqa Nasreen (Bentley and Darlaston North) and Khizar Hussain (Pleck) are back to defend their seats.

A Labour source said they would be "disappointed" if the party didn't make "three or four" gains, despite ongoing rows over interference in candidate selections.

Darlaston South is considered a strong possibility, as is Short Heath, although there are concerns there over the possibility of the Lib Dems splitting the vote.

Labour also has its eye on Blakenall, where local teacher Emma Morgan is up against Conservative Mushy Khan, a former Labour Party member.

Another Labour target is Bloxwich East, where former Blakenall councillor Bob Thomas is bidding to get back on the council.

The Lib Dems are fielding nine candidates and are understood to have targeted Willenhall North, where Leandra Gebrakedan will be bidding to follow in the footsteps of Ian Shires, who represented the ward for 42 years.

Reform UK also has nine candidates, including former Ukip parliamentary candidate Graham Eardley, who is standing in Pelsall. Eight Green Party candidates have been declared.

For the first time at these elections voters will need to show photo ID at polling stations under new Electoral Commission rules.

Current state of play: Conservative controlled administration – Cons 38; Lab 20; Indep 1; None 1

Seats up for grabs: 20

*denotes party that won in 2019, when these seats were last contested.

Aldridge Central and South

Guan Chan (Green)

Pard Kaur (Cons)*

Muhammad Khan (Lab)

Irene Yoong-Henery (Reform)

Aldridge North and Walsall Wood

Michael Bruce (Lab)

Lesley Lynch (Reform)

Shaun McKenzie (Green)

Amanda Parkes (Cons)*

Bentley and Darlaston North

Stuart Chapman (Indep)

Amarjeet Flora (Cons)

Abdul Kalam (Indep)

Saiqa Nasreen (Lab)*

Birchills-Leamore

Gaz Ali (Cons)*

Elliot Pfebve (Lab)

Elaine Williams (Reform)

Blakenall

Mushy Khan (Cons)

Andrea Maynard (Green)

Emma Morgan (Lab)*

Chris Phipps (Reform)

Dave Taylor (Indep)

Bloxwich East

Peggy Coop (Reform)

Corin Statham (Cons)*

Bob Thomas (Lab)

Susan Webster (Green)

Bloxwich West

Michael Coulson (Lab)

Matt Follows (Cons)*

Stuart Hodges (Lib Dem)

Mia Kalogjera (Green)

Stacey Timmins (Reform)

Brownhills

Ken Ferguson (Cons)*

David Morgan (Lab)

Thomas Powell (Green)

Darlaston South

Pally Samra (Cons)

Matt Ward (Lab)*

Paddock

David Alexander (Indep)

Daniel Barker (Lib Dem)

Waheed Rasab (Cons)*

Rishi Sharma (Lab)

Palfrey

Shamini Ahmed (Cons)

Hajran Bashir (Lab)*

Sadat Hussain (Green)

Dexter Williams (Reform)

Pelsall

Isaac Crosby (Lib Dem)

Graham Eardley (Reform)

Rose Martin (Cons)

Mugabe Reid (Lab)*

Pheasey Park Farm

Matthew Barker (Lib Dem)

Mike Bird (Cons)*

Steve Wade (Lab)

Pleck

Manju Gill (Cons)

Khizar Hussain (Lab)*

Rushall-Shelfield

Lee Jeavons (Lab)

Lorna Rattigan (Cons)*

Short Heath

Poonam Gill (Cons)*

Benjamin Hodges (Lib Dem)

Simon Rollason (Lab)

St Matthews

Ateeq Akhtar (Green)

Mozamil Khan (Cons)

Farhana Mazhar (Lab)*

Mohammed Yaqub (Lib Dem)

Streetly

Sarah-Jane Cooper (Cons)*

Robert Lipke (Lab)

Parpui Shaw (Reform)

Roger Watts (Lib Dem)

Willenhall North

Nahid Ahmed (Lab)

Leandra Gebrakedan (Lib Dem)

Adam Hicken (Cons)*

Willenhall South

Angela Hodges (Lib Dem)

Natalie Latham (Lab)*

Mak Uppal (Cons)

Key:

Indep – Independent