A TOTAL of 208 candidates will contest 54 Bournemouth Borough Council seats at next month’s local election.

Three seats in all 18 wards across Bournemouth are up for grabs, but only the Conservatives are contesting every seat and putting up 54 candidates.

The Labour Party is also fielding its biggest-ever crop of candidates – a total of 50, which is 10 more than they fielded at the 2011 election.

The Green Party will also be well represented, with 37 candidates, but the Liberal Democrat party, who just eight years ago controlled Bournemouth council, is fielding just 26 candidates.

The UK Independence Party is fielding 24 candidates, there are eight candidates standing for the Bournemouth Independent Alliance, eight Independents and one Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

Nominations to stand in the local and general election closed at 4pm on Thursday and lists of the candidates standing at the local and general elections were released yesterday. (FRI) Since 2007, Bournemouth council has had a big Conservative majority. The Tories won 41 seats at the 2007 election and 45 in 2011 and the party goes into this election holding 44 of the 54 council seats.

The local elections are being held on the same day as the general election – Thursday, May 7.

Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm. Anyone wishing to apply for a postal vote has until Tuesday, April 21 to do so while applications to vote by proxy must be received by the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Tuesday, April 28.

The local election votes will be counted at the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth on Friday, May 8 and results are expected to be announced later that afternoon and into the evening.