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)