Elections 2021: Who is standing in Eastbourne in county council contest?

The county council is separate to Eastbourne Borough Council and has its headquarters in Lewes.

There are eight wards in Eastbourne – Devonshire, Hampden Park, Langney, Meads, Old Town, Ratton, St Anthony’s, Sovereign and Upperton – and one person can be elected to represent each ward on the council.

In Devonshire the current councillor is Liberal Democrat Steve Wallis, who is also an Eastbourne councillor and the town’s current mayor.

Mr Wallis is standing down this year from his seat on the county council and the Lib Dems want to retain the seat.

Their candidate is Stephen Holt, who is also already a councillor on Eastbourne council and the deputy leader of the Town Hall administration in Grove Road.

Also standing in Devonshire is Lukasz Antoniewski for the UK Independence Party, Sarah Hill for the Greens, Labour’s Jill Shacklock and Nicholas Taylor for the Conservatives.

In Hampden Park, Lib Dem Colin Swansborough will be hoping to keep his seat. He is facing opposition from Independent candidate Lucette Davies, Susan Dixon from the Green Party, Conservative Mozmil Hussain and Margaret Robinson from the Labour Party.

Over in Langney another Liberal Democrat, Alan Shuttleworth is fighting to keep his seat.

Mr Shuttleworth is facing competition from Labour’s Graham Dean, Christopher Holloway who is standing for the UK Independence Party, the Green Party’s Donna Lonsdale-O’Brien and David Small for the Conservatives.

Up in Meads, long-standing Conservative councillor for the ward Barry Taylor is standing again.

Also hoping to be elected are Eastbourne Old Town Lib Dem councillor Peter Diplock, Bill Filby for the Labour Party, the Green’s Dorothy Forsyth and Kayaking Mullens who is standing for Reform UK.

Old Town – traditionally a Liberal Democrat seat – sees John Ungar hoping for another term on the council.

The Lib Dem is facing competition from the Conservative’s Robert Findon, who is also a past election agent for the party, the Green’s Jo Henderson and Jake Lambert for the Labour Party.

In Ratton, another long-standing Conservative councillor Colin Belsey will be defending his seat. The Liberal Democrat candidate is Eastbourne councillor Helen Burton and also standing are the Green Party’s Holly Atkins and Labour’s Wendy Lambert.

St Anthony’s, the ward which Eastbourne council leader David Tutt has held for several years, is expected to remain a Liberal Democrat stronghold.

Mr Tutt is standing again with Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell’s husband Nick hoping to take the seat for the Conservatives.

Other candidates include Ian Culshaw from the Labour Party, the Green’s Becky Gayler and the UK Independence Party’s Colin Horscroft.

Sovereign ward will prove to be interesting as long standing Conservative and current chairman of the county council David Elkin is standing down after an illustrious career in local politics.

His political colleague Penny di Cara will hope to retain the seat for the Conservatives with competition from Kathy Ballard, a former Tory who defected to the Liberal Democrats, Ian Garbutt from the UK Independence Party, Labour’s Louis Thorburn and James Herbert from the Green Party.

The final ward is Upperton where Liberal Democrat veteran Pat Rodohan will defend his seat.

Nick Henderson is standing for the Conservative Party, Dashiell Bourne for Reform UK, Alex Hough for the Green Party, Paul Richards for Labour and Amanda Sheehan for the UK Independence Party.

The county council election count will be held in Eastbourne the day after voters go to the polls with results due throughout Friday May 7.