HALF of Thurrock Council's current councillors will not be standing again in the forthcoming elections on Thursday, 7 May, when the Conservatives, Labour and Reform UK will be contesting all 49 seats.

Reform are widely predicted to take a significant majority of the seats in the reshaped electoral map - and interested may not be centred on who will run the council, but who may lead the anticipated winning group.

Current Reform UK group leader Alex Anderson will be challenging in the new Stanford-le-Hope South ward but Reform UK have also recruited two prominent council defectors who may pitch their hats into the leadership ring.

Current Conservative Tom Kelly was declared a Reform candidate at a landmark rally in the borough recently when he was introduced on stage by party leader Nigel Farage.

Also on the list of candidates released last night (Thursday, 9 April) is a former Thurrock councillor with a chequered history.

Richard Bingley was elected as a Conservative in 1997 but defected to Labour in 98. He worked for Campaign Against the Arms Trade, then for the Labour Party before he went to live in Czechia (Czech Republic). He then joined UKIP and was their security spokesperson nationally before reappearing as Conservative in Plymouth where he was elected and became leader of the council. 

He fell on his sword and quit his position in 2023 after being described as the instigator of a 'chainsaw massacre' after signing an order to cut down more than 100 trees. The incident dragged on into 2025 with the release of a report into what had happened, which was described as a £3.3m fiasco.

While Cllr Anderson has remained to fight his corner on the council, two former group leaders have declined to stand.

One is veteran Labour member and two-time Thurrock parliamentary candidate John Kent who has served on the council since first being elected in April 1993, being council leader twice (2010-2016 and 2024-2025.). Also not standing is current Conservative group leader Cllr George Coxshall.

One of the most controversial of the current batch of councillors, the Conservatives' former leader Rob Gledhill is also not standing. He was in charge when the council sleepwalked into a billion pound debt but he refused to resign and was frequently criticised and lambasted by council chamber critics, and he was singled out for abuse at February's budget-setting meeting.

Current Labour leader Cllr Lynn Worrall, who told Cllr Gledhill he 'should have had the decency to walk out of this building and never come back', is pitching in for another fight, standing in the Grays Town Ward. 

After Labour announced a 'full slate' of candidates, she said: "We're putting forward a strong team that reflects Thurrock today, with more women, more diversity, and a mix of new and experienced candidates ready for the challenges ahead.

"Thurrock has always welcomed people who come here to build a life. That openness matters, and it shouldn't be undermined by those who try to divide communities or scapegoat others.

"This election will not change the government. It will decide who runs Thurrock Council and who is responsible for your local services.

"It's easy to get caught up in national politics and opinion polls. But this vote is about your streets, your services, and your community.

"You'll hear loud voices and easy promises. But running a council is serious work. People should ask who has a real plan and who is simply playing on frustration.

"We're continuing Thurrock's recovery and will protect the borough's interests as local government reorganisation moves forward.

"This isn't a protest vote. It's about choosing people you trust to deliver locally. I'm asking residents to look past the noise and vote for competence, stability and people who will take the job seriously."

The Green Party is fielding a candidate in all 20 wards in the borough and a spokesperson for the South West Essex Green Party said: "This means for the first time every voter in Thurrock can vote Green. Locally and nationally, Labour is cosying up to developers and failing to provide the secure, affordable homes we need.

"We deserve better. Help us bring real hope and real change on Thursday, 7 May.

However, the list of candidates had barely been announced when one of them became a target of online criticism for his social media posts reflecting the Middle East crisis.

Alfie Jay Rees, who is standing in Tilbury St Chads ward, has called for "Death to Israel", "Death to America", and "Death to England".

Mr Rees has also called for Israel to be "flattened" so that a Palestinian state can be built in its place.

Apart from the Conservative, Green, Labour and Reform party candidates, there are six independent candidates and two Liberal Democrat contenders. 

Your guide to the wards and candidates

Aveley (3 seats)

Colin Leslie Adams - Conservative

Ollie Beck - Green Party

Anthony John Coyle - Conservative 

Mo Amin Hoique - Labour Party

Chris Irvine - Reform UK 

George Monk - Reform UK

Srikanth Panjala* - Labour Party

Maureen Carol Pearce - Conservative

Aiden Prince - Reform UK 

Cathy Sisterson* - Labour

Belhus (3 seats)

Benjamin Agyeman - Labour

Linda Benson - Reform UK 

Sophie Louise Corcoran - Independent

Fahima Danishmal - Labour 

Bogdan Enache - Reform UK 

Imole-Sontan Oluwatoyin - Conservative 

Rosalyn Joyce Jenkins - Conservative 

Tom Kelly* Reform UK 

Shamim Miah - Conservative 

Lalitha Panjala - Labour

Geraldine Jane Roche - Green Party

Chadwell St Mary (3 seats)

Abbie Akinbohun - Conservative

Ngozi Christa Alike* - Labour

Daniel Chukwu* - Labour

Jack Thomas Wilfred Fuller - Reform UK

Matt Lake - Reform UK

James William Mackintosh - Reform UK

Elizabeth Onibokun - Conservative 

Melissa Perry - Conservative 

Jo Potter - Labour 

Yogesh Jagdish Taylor - Green Party

Chafford Hundred East (2 seats)

Jessica Bartlett-Hyde - Green Party

Adam Carter - Conservative

Peggy Davies - Reform UK

Stephen Davies - Reform UK

Peter David Eates - Conservative 

Julie Eke-Lawrence - Labour

Vikki Hartstean* - Labour 

Chafford Hundred West (2 seats)

Oscar Ellis - Reform UK

Caitlin Elizabeth Fallows - Green Party

Wilmer Luna - Conservative  

Jason Mitchell - Reform UK

Tunde Ojetola - Conservative

Susan Shinnick* - Labour

Gary Watson* - Labour

Corringham & Fobbing (3 seats)

Holly Eleanor Bennett - Reform UK

John Cecil* - Labour

Ian Croom - Reform UK

Sam Flatt - Conservative

Kamlesh Rani Kumar - Labour

Anita Nuss - Labour 

Gbenga Olajugbagbe - Green Party

Sara Lisa Poyntz - Reform UK

Shane Ralph - Conservative

Jimmy Thandi - Conservative

East Tilbury, Linford & West Tilbury (2 seats)

Jon Bowler - Liberal Democrats

Adam Breese - Labour

Michelle Louise Burton - Reform UK

Alastair Michael Craft - Labour

Sandra Anne Elliott - Green Party

Kevin Eric Lawrence - Reform UK

Lesley Maney - Conservative

Alan Reilly - Conservative

Grays Riverside (3 seats)

Funmi Ademilua - Labour

Chloe Anderson - Green Party

Darren Dennis - Reform UK

Kimberley Zoe Dennis - Green Party

Catalin-Daniel Farcas - Reform UK

Tony Fish* - Labour 

Mark Wayne Hurrell* - Labour

Claudia Luna - Conservative 

Paul Ryan Parfitt - Green Party

Rakhi Rashmi - Conservative 

Joe Soper - Reform UK

Adeleke Abidemi Taiwo - Conservative

Grays Town (3 seats) 

Michael Okon Antai - Conservative

Milena Bingley - Reform UK

Zoe Anne Durba - Green Party

Lynda Hilary Heath* - Labour

Simon Lancaster - Liberal Democrats

Gurkiran Kaur Maan - Conservative

Cici Manwa* - Labour

Harold Ogunfemi - Conservative

Michael Kevin Shakespeare - Reform UK

Howard James Simmons - Green Party

Marc Stanley - Reform UK

Lynn Worrall* - Labour

Little Thurrock Blackshots (2 seats)

Abidemi Agidee-Adekunle - Labour

Mike Fletcher* - Labour

Laura Perrett - Green Party

Steven Pester - Reform UK

Joglur Rahman - Conservative

Lizzie Rigby* - Conservative

Robert Percy Willoughby - Reform UK

Little Thurrock Rectory (2 seats)

Marcel Abaneke - Labour

Marion Cherry - Reform UK

Sanjit Das - Labour

Jay Hayers - Independent

Allen Mayes - Conservative

David Morgan - Conservative

Eddie Stringer - Reform UK

Davina Ann Wager - Green Party 

Ockendon (3 seats)

Alan Benson* - Reform UK

Russ Cherry* - Reform UK

Leo Roderick Drege - Conservative

Rory Hildick - Green Party

Sue Johnson - Conservative

Kameel Mohammed - Independent

Jayden O'Brien - Labour

Peter Singh - Labour 

Graham Snell - Conservative

Prince Samuel Tico Samuel - Labour

Jay Daniel Varley - Reform UK

Orsett, Horndon & Bulphan (2 seats)

Bill Cook - Reform UK

David Day* - Conservative

Carlos Diaz - Labour

Daniel David Fallows - Green Party

Barry William Johnson* - Conservative 

Martin Kerin* - Labour

Jack Speight - Independent

Steve Taylor - Reform UK 

Purfleet-on-Thames (2 seats)

David John Beesley - Green Party

Angela Bolesworth - Conservative

Aaron James Green* - Labour

Michelle Louise Heal - Reform UK 

Cornell Olive Heiser - Conservative

Danny Reynolds - Reform UK

Lee Watson* - Labour

Stanford-le-Hope South (3 seats)

Alex Anderson* - Reform UK

Michelle Brownscombe-Adu - Green Party

Andrea Ekong - Conservative

Suraj Lohia - Labour

Teresa O'Keefe - Labour

Bunmi Ojetola - Conservative

James Richard Poyntz - Reform UK

Phil Smith - Labour

Neil Speight* - Independent

Mark Turner - Reform UK

Mitchell Uncle - Conservative

Steven James Woolrich - Green Party

Stifford

Richard Audubon Bingley - Reform UK

Mark Anthony Hooper* - Labour

Alex Howell - Conservative

Bill Mumford - Reform UK

Kevin Rankin - Green Party

Joy Redsell - Conservative

Sam Thomas - Labour

The Homesteads & Stanford-le-Hope North (3 seats)

Esther Ajilore - Conservative

Eric Alfred Bevan - Green Party

Gary James Byrne* - Independent

Gary Collins - Conservative

Mark Bland Kimpton - Labour 

Pam McCabe - Reform UK

Joanne Lisa Quirk - Reform UK

James Peter Scarsbrook - Reform UK

Hanna Uwakwe-Mangse - Conservative

Gena Lynn White - Labour

Brian Whitten - Labour

Tilbury Riverside (2 seats)

Emmanuel Andrews - Green Party

Christina Dallyn - Labour

David Hollenbach - Reform UK

Mina Begum Hoque - Labour

Michelle Macadangdang - Conservative

Dennis Maney - Conservative 

Harley Pyman-Brickwood - Reform UK

Tilbury St Chads (2 seats)

Clare Baldwin - Labour

Shirley Bartlett - Reform UK

Steve Liddiard* - Labour

Devante Likando - Conservative

Ben Maney* - Conservative

Alfie Jay Rees - Green Party

Baily Terry Scott - Reform UK

West Thurrock & South Stifford (2 seats)

Qaisar Abbas* - Conservative

Shalini Bhatt - Labour

Vincent Ronald Hamish Bye - Reform UK

Chris Gilbody - Green Party

Ron Green - Labour

John Pearson - Reform UK

Elena Pelin - Conservative

*= Current councillors.