More than 300 political hopefuls across Herts are battling it out for a place on the county council, as the countdown to polling day continues.
In Stevenage, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties will be standing in all six of the county council seats on May 6.
The Green Party will be standing for five of the Stevenage seats (all except Shephall) – and the Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts will be standing in all except Old Stevenage.
In addition a UKIP candidate will stand in Broadwater and Reform UK in St Nicholas.
In the 2017 elections the Old Stevenage seat was taken by Labour with a margin of just 15 votes – which was the smallest margin in the county.
The current holder of that Old Stevenage seat – Cllr Joshua Bennett Lovell – will not be standing this year.
Also stepping down this time is Conservative Cllr Michael Hearn, who currently represents the Shephall division.
In the 2017 elections, three of the county council seats were won by Conservatives, two by Labour and one Lib Dem.
In North Herts, Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat party candidates are standing for election in all nine of the county council seats within the district.
Candidates from Christian Peoples Alliance are standing in three of the divisions - with Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts and Reform fielding candidates too.
Currently seven of the nine county council seats in North Herts are held by Conservatives - with one Labour and one Liberal Democrat - but in the 2017 election three of the seats were among those with some of the closest margins in Hertfordshire.
In Hitchin South the Conservatives were just 114 votes ahead of the Liberal Democrats, and in Letchworth North they were just 107 votes ahead of Labour.
But the closest seat of all in the North Herts area was Royston West and Rural, which the Lib Dems won with 1,976 votes - just 62 more votes than the Conservatives.
North Herts is the only area within the county where all the sitting councillors will be standing for re-election on May 6.
Across Herts there are 327 candidates who have registered to stand as county councillors.
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