THERE will be several new faces on Bury Council after nominations closed for the May 7 local elections.

One seat from each of the borough's 17 wards is up for grabs, with a total of 83 candidates standing for election.

Seven councillors will be stepping down: Peter Bury (Radcliffe North), John Smith (Redvales), Gill Campbell (Holyrood), Tony Cummins (Radcliffe West), James Frith (Elton), Jack Walton (Church) and Keith Rothwell (Moorside).

Labour, the Conservatives, the Green Party and UKIP are contesting all 17 seats while the Lib Dems are standing in 13 wards.

One key battleground is likely to be Radcliffe East.

Matt Bailey won that seat for Labour in 2011 with a majority of 610 votes but he later severed ties with Labour after criticising the group for being unsupportive of his family situation, as he has three young children.

Mr Bailey will be standing as an independent and will be up against Labour's Catherine Preston and three other candidates.

The Lib Dems, whose traditional heartland has been in Prestwich, will be hoping to claw back seats they have lost in recent years, while the Conservatives will be eyeing victory in traditionally marginal seats.

In Ramsbottom ward, Tory candidate Rob Hodkinson lost out to Labour's Joanne Columbine in 2011 by the narrowest of margins.

After several recounts, it emerged both candidates had attracted 1,822 votes, so election officials had to dust off the rule book.

In the end, the pair were asked to draw straws from a box and Ms Columbine won as Mr Hodkinson drew the short straw.

UKIP will be looking to make inroads into Bury after gaining two seats in Bolton last May.

Labour currently runs Bury Council with 36 councillors, the Conservatives have 11 and there are three independents and one Liberal Democrat.

The full list of candidates is:

RAMSBOTTOM

• David Barker (UK Independence Party)

• Laura Chepner (Green)

• Rob Hodkinson (Conservative)

• Karen Leach (Labour)

NORTH MANOR

• Ewan Arthur (Liberal Democrats)

• Mary Heath (Green)

• Khalid Hussain (Conservative)

• Tanya Kay (UK Independence Party)

• Steven Treadgold (Labour)

TOTTINGTON

• Samantha Deas (Green)

• David Foss (Liberal Democrats)

• Ian Henderson (UK Independence Party)

• Andrew Jones (Labour)

• Yvonne Wright (Conservative)

ELTON

• Michael Hankey (Conservative)

• Martin Hayes (Labour)

• Julie Southworth (Green)

• Walter Southworth (UK Independence Party)

• Benjamin Thomas (Liberal Democrats)

MOORSIDE

• Nabila Afilal (Conservative)

• Victor Hagan (UK Independence Party)

• Larissa Heath (Green)

• Sarah Southworth (Labour)

EAST

• Sham Akhtar (Conservative)

• John Axon (UK Independence Party)

• Michael Connolly (Labour)

• Paul Jenkins (Green)

CHURCH

• Lynda Arthur (Liberal Democrats)

• Bernard Hagan (UK Independence Party)

• Jackie Harris (Conservative)

• Andrew McAnulty (Labour)

• Reece Spencer (Green)

REDVALES

• Paul Deaville (Green)

• Mike Harling (UK Independence Party)

• Judith Kelly (Labour)

• Gareth Lloyd-Johnson (Liberal Democrats)

• Sue Smith (Conservative)

UNSWORTH

• Carm Bithell (Green)

• Joan Grimshaw (Labour)

• Katriona Middleton (Liberal Democrats)

• Ged Smith (UK Independence Party)

• Bernard Vincent (Conservative)

RADCLIFFE EAST

• Matt Bailey (Independent)

• Robert Graham (Liberal Democrats)

• Nicole Haydock (Green)

• Greg Keeley (Conservative)

• Catherine Preston (Labour)

• Russell Turner (UK Independence Party)

RADCLIFFE NORTH

• Anne Beckett (Green)

• Ian Hayes (UK Independence Party)

• Rodney Rew (Liberal Democrats)

• Zain Shah (Conservative)

• Jamie Walker (Labour)

RADCLIFFE WEST

• Stephen Dillon (Green)

• Kamran Islam (Liberal Democrats)

• David Lewis (Conservative)

• Rachel Skillen (Labour)

• Christopher Turner (UK Independence Party)

BESSES

• Philip Husband (UK Independence Party)

• Guy Levy (Conservative)

• Alan Matthews (Labour)

• Steve Middleton (Liberal Democrats)

• Stephen Morris (English Democrats)

• Zarrin Shannon (Green)

PILKINGTON PARK

• Robert Caserta (Conservative)

• Zachery Garsia (Green)

• Debra Green (Labour)

• John Parkinson (UK Independence Party)

HOLYROOD

• Peter Curati (Green)

• Mary D’Albert (Liberal Democrats)

• Geraldine Greene (Labour)

• Katy Rothwell (Conservative)

• Michael Zwierzanski (UK Independence Party)

ST MARY’S

• Noel Bayley (Labour)

• Robert Cahill (UK Independence Party)

• Zadok Day (Conservative)

• Andrew McKee (Green)

• Donal O’Hanlon (Liberal Democrat)

SEDGLEY

• Michael James (Labour)

• Jennifer Jamieson (UK Independence Party)

• David Silbiger (Conservative)

• Karen Wood (Green)

• Steven Wright (Liberal Democrat)