THE candidates for the forthcoming county council elections have been released with all seven seats up for grabs.

All seats are currently held by the Conservative Party, with the exception of Loughton Central where Loughton Residents’ Association member Chris Pond will be fighting for re-election against opponents including former LRA member, and current district councillor, Mitch Cohen.

In the Buckhurst Hill and Loughton South ward, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Epping Forest Ann Haigh will be attempting to take the seat back from the Tories who are fielding Valerie Metcalfe, the mother of former district councillor and current parliamentary candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock Stephen Metcalfe. Current councillor Colin Finn is stepping down.

District council chairman John Knapman is standing for the Conservatives in the Chigwell and Loughton Broadway ward, following the retirement of Mike Tomkins, while in the Epping and Theydon Bois ward John Spencer has also stepped down.

Anthony Jackson will be re-fighting the North Weald and Nazeing ward with opponents including the BNP’s Redbridge Borough Councillor Julian Leppert.

Former Essex County Council chairman Gerard McEwen will re-fight the Ongar and rural ward.

A number of district councillors are standing as candidates, while among the proposers Labour candidate Tom Owen is nominated by Lady Heather Murray, and the BNP’s Peter Turpin is proposed by himself.

European elections will also take place at the same time as the County Council elections on June 4.

There will also be a district council bye-election in the Honey Lane Ward, of Waltham Abbey, and a parish council bye-election in the Buckhurst Hill East ward.

Full list of candidates for the June 4 County Council elections:

Buckhurst Hill & Loughton South

COPLAND Alexander: British National Party

HAIGH Ann: Liberal Democrat

METCALFE Valerie: The Conservative Party

NEVILLE Steven: The Green Party

OWEN Tom: The Labour Party

WADSWORTH Gerard: UK Independence Party

WRIGHT Neville: Independent

Chigwell & Loughton Broadway

BUTLER Edward: British National Party

HOLMES Katie: Liberal Democrat

KNAPMAN John: The Conservative Party

LORD Chris: The Green Party

MONTEFIORE: The Labour Party

Epping & Theydon Bois

BULLOUGH Simon: The Labour Party

FRANKLAND Tony: British National Party

KIEVE Daniel: The Green Party

SMITH Andrew: UK Independence

SURGUY James: The Conservative Party

WHITEHOUSE Janet: Liberal Democrat

Loughton Central

BRITON Jesse: The Green Party

COHEN Mitchell: The Conservative Party

LAW Rodney: British National Party

LAWFORD Martin: The Labour Party

MCGOUGH Michael: UK Independence Party

POND Chris Forest: Independent Loughton Residents Association

SPENCE Christopher: Liberal Democrat

North Weald & Nazeing

HARRIES Nicola: The Green Party

JACKSON Anthony: The Conservative Party

LAKE Matthew: Liberal Democrat

LEPPERT Julian: British National Party

MORRIS Kelvin: The Labour Party

Ongar & Rural

BARNECUTT Jessica: The Green Party

JACOBS Derek: Liberal Democrats

MCEWEN Gerard: The Conservative Party

SPRING Sheila: The Labour Party

TILBROOK Robin: English Democrats

TURPIN Peter: British National Party

Waltham Abbey

BROOKS Pat: Liberal Democrat

DIAMOND-CONWAY Mitch: The Labour Party

FULLER Nicky: The Green Party

RICHARDSON Pat: British National Party

WEBSTER Liz: The Conservative Party