IT MIGHT be four weeks until polling day – but the first results are in.

The Conservatives have swept to victory in Mirfield without a vote being cast, while in Holme Valley there are more vacancies than volunteers.

Nominations for the five town and parish councils around Huddersfield have now closed.

The elections take place on May 5, the same day as the Kirklees Council poll.

However, there will be no voting for Holme Valley Parish Council or Mirfield Town Council because of a lack of candidates.

But it’s a different story in Meltham, Kirkburton and Denby Dale, where several wards will be keenly fought.

The Conservatives have put up 16 candidates for the 16 seats on Mirfield Town Council.

However, no other party or independent candidate has put their name forward, meaning there will be no election.

In Holme Valley 23 people put their names forward for 23 seats.

But David McGowan, the only would-be candidate for Honley South, has not been nominated.

A Kirklees spokeswoman explained yesterday: “Each parish candidate must be proposed and seconded by two electors who live in the ward in which they are standing.

“The only candidate in Honley South Ward of the Holme Valley Parish Council did not have his nomination papers attested correctly in this respect.

“As his nomination papers were received close to the deadline of midday on Monday he had no opportunity to submit fresh nomination papers by the close of nominations.

“His nomination was therefore declared invalid.”

But in Meltham there will be a fight on, with 12 independent candidates hoping to make it a clean sweep against three Lib Dems.

Clr Terry Lyons, an independent on both Kirklees and the town council, said: “We’re all of the same ilk, we’re all for Meltham itself.

“We want to improve the village with the £50,000 the town council has available for good causes which we’ve given to groups like the churches and the playgroups.”

Clr Lyons added: “I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t looking to get rid of the Lib Dems and make Meltham a political party-free zone.”

Clr David Woodhead, also a member of Kirklees and Meltham Town Council, is leading the three-strong group of Lib Dems up for election.

He said: “The independents claim they will take all the seats but I think we will win the three we’re contesting.

“Quite a number of the independents are former Labour activists who couldn’t get elected as Labour and seem to think they’ll get elected as independents.”

Clr Woodhead added: “We want to see some of the town councils’ money being spent on useful things in the community – like improving the Robert Ashton Memorial Park.

“The independent councillors seem to think ‘it’s our brass, we’re keeping it’.”

Meanwhile, in Kirkburton the Greens hope to take control of the parish council.

The party currently holds 11 of the 25 seats, but is running 17 candidates this time.

Clr Andrew Cooper, who is a member of both Kirklees and the parish council, said yesterday: “We’ve got some good people running and we’re hopeful of winning 17 seats. We’re quite chipper.”

Several wards of Denby Dale Parish Council will also be keenly contested, with eight candidates going for five seats in Skelmanthorpe and seven people contesting three vacancies in Emley.

Denby Dale Parish Council is the only one of the five where Labour is running candidates.

Full list of candidates for parish council elections in Holme Valley, Meltham, Kirkburton, Denby Dale and Mirfield on next page.

HOLME VALLEY PARISH COUNCIL

Brockholes: One seat

Leslie Bailey (Greens)

Fulstone: Two seats

Donald Firth (Cons)

Di Hall (Cons)

Hepworth - One seat

Thomas Dixon (Cons)

Holmfirth Central: Two seats

Greg Christofi (Cons)

Keith Sharland (Cons)

Honley Central: Three seats

Brenda Bodenham (Cons)

Peter Searby (Indept)

Liz Wood (Indept)

Honley South: One seat

No valid nominations received

Honley West: Two seats

Charles Greaves (Indept)

Andrew Hampshaw (Cons)

Netherthong: Two seats

Bev Osborn (Cons)

Judith Roberts (Cons)

Scholes: Two seats

Paul Dixon (Cons)

Mandy Walker (Indept)

Upper Holme Valley: Two seats

Kath Bellamy (Cons)

Trevor Bellamy (Cons)

Upperthong: Two seats

Greg Cropper (Cons)

Timothy Dearnley (Cons)

Wooldale: Three seats

Rod Bowles (Cons)

Jason Brook (Cons)

Philip Hirst (Cons)

MELTHAM TOWN COUNCIL – 12 SEATS

Susan Andrew (Indept)

Nigel Brook (Indept)

Richard Crankshaw (Indept)

Jean Danson (Indep)

Suzanne Gannon (Indept)

Edgar Holroyd-Doveton (Indept)

Terry Lyons (Indept)

David Maxfield (Indept)

Pat Maxfield (Indept)

Nigel Priestley (Lib Dems)

Alan Redfearn (Indept)

Shirley Watson (Indept)

Paul White (Indept)

David Woodhead (Lib Dems)

Jean Wrathall (Indept)

KIRKBURTON PARISH COUNCIL

Flockton: Two seats

Jimmy Paxton (Indept)

Maureen Pitts (Greens)

Kirkburton: Five seats

Roger Beaumont (Cons)

Norman Berry (Cons)

Mike Greetham (Labour)

Derek Hardcastle (Greens)

Peter Pankhurst (Greens)

John Sykes (Cons)

Jan Thornton (Labour)

Vanda White (Greens)

Kirkheaton: Four seats

Bill Armer (Cons)

Pamela Brook (Lib Dems)

Pamela Ciceri (Lib Dems)

Keiron Dunn (Labour)

Alison Munro (Lib Dems)

Lepton and Whitley Upper: Two seats

Roy Dobson (Labour)

Cass Whittingham (Greens)

David Whittingham (Indept)

Ben Wightman (Greens)

Lepton: Five seats

Stephen Beresford (Lib Dems)

Richard Burton (Greens)

Peter Cunnington (Greens)

Sharon Dunford (Greens)

John Hirst (Indept)

Eileen Marchant (Greens)

Janice Thomas (No party label given)

Lesley Townend (Lib Dems)

Shelley: Two seats

Helen Barraclough (Cons)

Lynn Parsley (Indept)

Kenneth Roberts (Greens)

Christine Smith (Cons)

Suzanne Triggs (Greens)

David Whittingham (Indept)

Shepley: Three seats

Michelle Atkinson (Greens)

Robert Edmunds (Greens)

Cathie Jepson (Cons)

Ian Lumb (Greens)

Adrian Murphy (Cons)

Amanda Shaw (Cons)

Mark Sykes (Cons)

Thurstonland and Farnley Tyas: Two seats

Ian Barraclough (Cons)

Robert Barraclough (Greens)

Andrew Cooper (Greens)

DENBY DALE PARISH COUNCIL

Clayton West: Four seats

John Cook (Cons)

Lynn Hardy (Cons)

Lynsey Harris (Labour)

Richard Jewkes (Cons)

Bev Rushforth (Cons)

Denby and Cumberworth: Six seats

Ravinder Bahia (Indept)

Richard Brook (Labour)

Neil Denby (Indept)

Alan Fish (Cons)

William Fish (Cons)

Cynthia Naylor (Cons)

Rob Pickford (Cons)

Claire Rimmer (Labour)

Steven Slater (Cons)

Michael Watson (Cons)

Emley Ward: Three seats

Tim Bennett (Cons)

John Clarkson (Labour)

Ray Gott (Cons)

Tom Had (Cons)

Michael Johnston (Cons)

Stephen Kinchin (No party label given)

Edward Shaw (Labour)

Skelmanthorpe: Five seats

Tom Abbey (Cons)

Mark Fahey (Cons)

Allan Hinde-King (Indept)

Paul McEnhill (English Dems)

Sue Simpson (No party label given)

Graham Turner (Labour)

Kelvyn Waites (Indept)

Martin Walker (Cons)

MIRFIELD TOWN COUNCIL

Battyeford: Five seats

Martyn Bolt (Cons)

Alan Burton (Cons)

Michelle Gilbert (Cons)

John Nottingham (Cons)

Andrew White (Cons)

Crossley: Three seats

Elizabeth Armitage (Cons)

John Sutcliffe (Cons)

Christopher Walker (Cons)

Eastthorpe – Three seats

Janet Hirst (Cons)

David Pinder (Cons)

Pat Sutcliffe (Cons)

Hopton: Two seats

Mark Hamilton (Cons)

Vivien Lees-Hamilton (Cons)

Northorpe: Three seats

Richard Hartley (Cons)

James Taylor (Cons)

Kathleen Taylor (Cons)