Millions of people around the country will go to the polls tomorrow to cast their votes in the local and European elections.
A third of Kirklees Council’s 69 seats are up for grabs with 108 candidates contesting 23 seats for nine parties or as independent members.
Voters will go to one of 190 polling stations in Kirklees which open from 7am until 10pm - and 28 schools will close on Thursday as they are used as polling stations.
However, the results of the ballot box will not be revealed until Friday, when 250 staff will count the votes at Cathedral House in Huddersfield.
Kirklees Council is run by the Labour Party which currently does not have overall control of the council, with 32 councillors.
Current opposition includes the Conservatives with 18 councillors, the Liberal Democrats with 11 councillors and the Green Party and Valley Independents with eight councillors.
Of the seats up for election, 10 are held by Labour, six Conservative, five Lib Dem, one Green and one Independent.
Others seeking election is English Democrats member; four independent members, the Patriotic Socialist Party; six Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts and five UKIP members.
Huddersfield University politics expert Andy Mycock says the Kirklees Labour Party could take overall control of the council if Lib Dem voters, disaffected by national issues, don’t turn out and support the party locally.
Dr Mycock said: “There are two main driving factors in Kirklees that could boost turnout.
“The first is how Lib Dem voters respond, we could see Labour take overall control of the council unless the Lib Dems get out in droves.
“It’s all speculative of course, I would be surprised if Labour doesn’t take Kirklees but it will be the Lib Dems voters who can stop that - the local Lib Dem councillors have got a good, strong connection with the places they serve, but will it help?”
Dr Mycock said local votes may be cast away from the three mainstream parties - and in Kirklees he thinks the Green Party could be the choice of the left.
He added: “They could be the dark horse for getting a Euro seat and locally they could be the party voters disaffected by the mainstream parties turn to.
“People are disaffected by the three mainstream parties and UKIP is a reason for that, but to the left evidence suggests the Greens could benefit.
“Andrew Cooper (Newsome councillor and lead Green Party Euro candidate) is an experienced politician - the party may well do very well.”
Dr Mycock said the second driving force for boosting voter turnout is the potential for UKIP in the Euro elections.
“Whether that will motivate people to go out and vote for or against them remains to be seen, but it’s quite clear that UKIP are going to do well in Yorkshire and the Humber region.
“The average turnout for local elections is 35-40% and I suspect in Kirklees we will match the average. For the Euros we’re looking at around 40%.”
The list of candidates by ward is:
Almondbury:
Conservative: Bernard McGuin,
Green: Ben Wightman
Independent: Melvin Gray
Labour: Mus Khan
Lib Dem: Linda Wilkinson (current)
Ashbrow:
Conservative: Chris Grogan
Green: Brenda Smithson
Labour: Jean Calvert (current)
Lib Dem: Bal Aujla
TUSC: David Waight
Batley East:
Conservative: Imtiaz Ameen
Green: Robert Reynolds
Labour: Mahmood Akhtar (current)
Lib Dem: Jonathan Heap
TUSC: Peter Robson
Independent: Akooji Badat
Batley West
Conservative: Susie Bell-Procter
Green: Garry Kitchin
Labour: Gwen Lowe (current)
Lib Dem: Stephen Leach
TUSC: John Rattigan
Birstall & Birkenshaw
Conservative: Liz Smaje (current)
Green: Charlotte Stoyles
Labour: Amanda Davison
Lib Dem: Megan Scholefield-Nicholson
Cleckheaton
Conservative: Andrew Gray
Green: Jessica Berry
Labour: Pete Murphy
Lib Dem: John Lawson (current)
Colne Valley
Conservative: Clinton Simpson
Green: John Goodwin
Labour: Barbara Jones
Lib Dem: Nicola Turner (current)
UKIP: Melanie Roberts
Crosland Moor and Netherton:
Conservative: Imran Safdar
Green: Chas Ball
Independent: Steve Bradbury
Labour: Erin Hill
Lib Dem: John Dobson
TUSC: Jason Bowen
Labour hold, but current Clr Carole Pattison is stepping down.
Dalton
Conservative: Maria Ackroyd
Green: Eddie Adams
Labour: Peter McBride (current)
Lib Dem: Roger Battye
TUSC: Jack McLean
Denby Dale
Conservative: Jim Dodds (current)
Green: Terry Sigsworth
Labour: John Clarkson
Lib Dem: Andrew Wilkinson
Dewsbury East
Conservative: Mark Eastwood
Green: Tony Kelsall
Labour: Cathy Scott (current)
Lib Dem: Bernard Disken
UKIP: Greg Burrows
Dewsbury South
Conservative: Khizar Iqbal
Green: Adrian Cruden
Labour: Masood Ahmed (current)
Lib Dem: Stephen Bird
English Democrats: Shaun Maddox
Dewsbury West
Conservative: Shehzad Hussain
Green: Simon Cope
Labour: Mumtaz Hussain (current)
Lib Dem: Dennis Hullock
Golcar
Conservative: Jack Kempf
Green: Daniel Greenwood
Labour: Stephan Jungnitz
Lib Dem: Andrew Marchington (current)
UKIP: Gregory Broome
Greenhead
Conservative: Pauline McGleenan
Green: John Phillips
Labour: Mohan Sokhal (current)
Lib Dem: Manjit Singh
Heckmondwike
Conservative: Robert Thornton
Green: Ian Bullock
Labour: Viv Kendrick (current)
Lib Dem: Josie Pugsley
Holme Valley North
Conservative: Stephen Baggott
Independent: Terry Lyons (current)
Labour: Sarah Cook
Lib Dem: David Woodhead
Holme Valley South
Conservative: Nigel Patrick (current)
Green: Barry Ward
Labour: Anne Baldwin
Lib Dem: Arthur Pritchard
Kirkburton
Conservative: Bill Armer
Green: Cassandra Whittingham
Labour: Mike Greetham
Lib Dem: Jatinder Singh
Patriotic Socialist: Lee Woods
*Conservative hold but current Clr Christine Smith is stepping down.
Lindley
Conservative: Gemma Wilson
Green: Richard Plunkett
Labour: Douglas Morgan
Lib Dem: Cahal Burke (current)
UKIP: Ellen Ball
Liversedge and Gomersal
Conservative: David Hall (current)
Green: Richard Burton
Labour: Catherine Pinder
Lib Dem: Richard Farnhill
Mirfield
Conservative: Vivien Lees-Hamilton (current)
Green: Nicholas Whittingham
Labour: Michael Hutchinson
Lib Dem: Nisar Choudhary
Newsome
Conservative: Simon Ackroyd
Green: Karen Allison
Labour: Sheikh Ullah
Lib Dem: Eleanor Ritchie
UKIP: Ian French
TUSC: Jake Lawley
*Green hold but current Clr Graham Simpson is stepping down.
Voters in Calderdale’s 17 wards will also cast their votes.
In the Lower Valley area the following are candidates:
Brighouse: Howard Blagbrough (Con); Danny Murphy (Indp): Jennie Rigg (LibDem); Anthony Rutherford (Lab); and Colin Stout (Indp and current councillor); Nick Yates (UKIP).
Elland: Angie Gallagher (Lab); Sue Hall (Con); David Hardy (LibDem and current councillor); Abigail Shaw (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts TUSC); Susan Thomas (Green).
Greetland and Stainland: Jim Gallagher (Lab); Luke Gill (TUSC); Christine Greenwood (LibDem); Mark Mullany (Green); Chris Pearson (Con); Angela Thompson (UKIP). Lib Dem currently hold the seat.
Hipperholme and Lightcliffe: Mat Bowles (Lib Dem); Joe Clegg (Con); Pam Fellows (Lab); Colin Raistrick (Indp and current councillor).
Rastrick: Robert Bailey (TUSC); Christine Beal (Con and current councillor); Kathleen Haigh-Hutchinson (LibDem); Peter Judge (Lab).