THE battle lines have been drawn ahead of next month's local elections.

Parties across the Braintree district have declared their runners and riders for the elections on Thursday, May 2.

The Conservative Party is currently the largest single group with 39 seats.

Labour has four, the Halstead Residents Association has two, there are two independents, one Green and one vacancy.

26 wards are being contested in the election with Conservative and Labour candidates standing in each one.

Green Party candidates are standing in 19 wards, Liberal Democrat representatives are standing in six and UKIP in two.

Independent candidates will contest three wards while Halstead Residents' Association candidates are standing in two.

To vote this year residents will need to take along one form of photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID as Braintree Council takes part in the voter ID trial scheme.

Here is the full list of all the candidates standing for each ward.

Bocking Blackwater

Agnes Bishop - Lab

Leo Jenner - UKIP

John Malam - Green

Trevor McArdle - Cons

Merle Morris - Lab

Richard Parsons - Lab

Wendy Schmitt - Cons

Lyn Walters - Cons

Bocking North

Tony Everard - Lab

Dawn Holmes - Green

David Mann - Lab

Philip Rawlinson - Cons

Bocking South

Simon Attwood - Green

David Baugh - Cons

Lynn Jefferis - Lab

Ian Pritchard - Cons

Moia Thorogood - Lab

Braintree Central and Beckers Green

Dormer Andrews - Green

Bill Edwards - Lab

Andrew Hensman - Tory

Antony Jones - Lab

David Mansell - Independent

Saif Rehman - Cons

Colin Riches - Independent

Celia Shute - Lab

Justin Wrench - Cons

Braintree South

Edith Aganoke - Lab

Kevin Bowers - Cons

Martin Green - Lab

Nicholas Scales - Green

Dean Wallace - Cons

Braintree West

Andy Beatty - Lab

Mary Cunningham - Cons

Edwyn Gerrard-Abbott - Green

Keiran Martin - Lab

John McKee - Cons

Bumpstead

Diana Garrod - Cons

Jacqueline Thorogood - Lab

Coggeshall

Lynette Bowers-Flint - Cons

Eileen Davidson - Lab

Alan Dunn - Cons

Gary Knights - Lab

Nick Unsworth - Independent

Tom Walsh - Independent

Gosfield and Greenstead Green

Jenny Bishop - Green

Peter Schwier - Cons Deborah Warren - Lab

Great Notley and Black Notley

Graham Butland - Cons

Tom Cunningham - Cons

Freddie Gerrard-Abbott - Green

Collette Gibson - Lab

Bronislaw Jagniaszek - Lab

Francesco Ricci - Cons

Graham Sheppard - Lib Dem

David Toombs - Lib Dem

Juliet Walton - Lab

Halstead St Andrews

Pauline Amos - Lab

David Hume - Halstead Residents' Association

Stephen Kirby - Cons

Stephen Knight - Lab

Rob Pye - Cons

Mick Radley - Halstead Residents' Association

Daniel Shadbolt - Green

Halstead Trinity

Julia Allen - Cons

Malcolm Fincken - Lab

Andy Munday - Halstead Residents' Association

Jackie Pell - Halstead Residents' Association

Garry Warren - Lab

Hatfield Peverel and Terling

Jonathan Barker - Green

David Bebb - Cons

Tony Bennett - Lab

Joanne Dervish - Cons

Nick Fogden - Lab

Pamela Hooper - Lib Dem

David Wheeler - Lib Dem

Hedingham

Jo Beavis - Independent

Stephanie Bills - Green

Matt Creamer - Lab

Denis Franklin - Lab

Hylton Johnson - Cons

Nigel McCrea - Cons

Kelvedon and Feering

John Elliot - Cons

Ian Marshall - Lab

Robert Mitchell - Cons

Bob Powers - Lab

Jennifer Sardum - Green

Paul Thorogood - Green

Rayne

Paul Euesden - Cons

Poppy Gerrard-Abbott - Green

Nigel Gibson - Lab

Silver End and Cressing

James Abbott - Green

Ann Griffin - Lab

Becky Karaman-Naci - Cons

Sean Perkins - UKIP

Richard Tuff - Lab

Bob Wright - Green

Stour Valley North

Peter Long - Lab

Iona Parker - Cons

Stour Valley South

Steve Bolter - Lib Dem

Frederick Hearn - Lab

Wendy Scattergood - Cons

The Colnes

Tamsin Cleeve - Lab

Cornelius Coughlan - Lab

George Courtauld - Cons

Alan Sheppard - Green

Gabrielle Spray - Cons

Three Fields

Barry Foskett - Lab

Margaret Lynch - Lab

Andrea Phillips - Green

Vanessa Santomauro - Cons

Peter Tattersley - Cons

Witham Central

Nelson Brunton - Green

Jack Coleman - Lab

Barry Fleet - Lib Dem

Angela Kilmartin - Cons

Kathie Tearle - Lab

Susan Wilson - Cons

Witham North

Philip Barlow - Lab

Jack Bayford - Cons

Leanora Headley - Lab

Stephen Hicks - Green

Michelle Weeks - Green

JoAnn Williams - Cons

Witham South

Pamela Carlaw - Lab

James Coleridge - Cons

Tom Hewitt - Lab

Kate Onions - Lib Dem

Ronald Ramage - Cons

Charlie Ryland - Lib Dem

Witham West

Lucy Barlow - Lab

James Fleet - Lib Dem

Antony Gore - Lab

Patrick Horner - Cons

Philip Hughes - Green

Bill Rose - Cons

Helen Waring - Lib Dem

Yeldham

Noel Owen - Lab

Richard Van Dulken - Cons