MOST of the 16 seats to be contested in next month's local elections for seats on Thurrock Council will be straight shoot-outs between Labour and Conservatives.

In just two of the seats are there more than two candidates.

Nominations closed this week and show that the only place where electors will have a multiple choice are the Tilbury Riverside & Thurrock Park and Stanford East & Corringham Town wards.

In Tilbury former UKIP and Thurrock Independents councillor John Allen will be trying to win a seat back on the council.He goes up against incumbent Labour councillor Bukky Okunade and the Conservatives' Jordan Ali.

In Stanford and Corringham Conservative Alex Anderson will be attempting to hold his seat against the challenge of Thurrock Independents' Ross Byrne and Labour's John Cecil.

The full list of candidiates is:

Aveley & Uplands

David Day* (Conservative)

Srikanth Panjala (Labour)

Belhus

George Curtis Coxshall (Conservative)

Mark Hurrell (Labour)

Chadwell St Mary

Gavin Holland (Conservative)

Sara Muldowney* (Labour)

Grays Riverside

Martin Christopher Kerin* (Labour)

Obi Obi-Njoku (Conservative)

Grays Thurrock

Joanne Swash (Conservative)

Lynn Worrall* (Labour)

Little Thurrock Blackshots

Clifford John Holloway (Labour)

Ben Maney* (Conservative)

Little Thurrock Rectory

Robert Gledhill* (Conservative)

Aaron James Green (Labour)

Ockendon Paul Arnold (Conservative)

Ruth Clapham (Labour) OrsettBarry Johnson* (Conservative)

Gary Watson (Labour) South ChaffordAbbie Akinbohun* (Conservative - previously elected as Labour)

Sue Shinnick (Labour) Stanford East & Corringham Town Alex Anderson * (Conservative)

Ross James Byrne (Thurrock Independents)

John Cecil (Labour)

Stifford Clays

Mark Hooper (Labour)

Elizabeth Rigby* (Conservative)

Homesteads

Jacqueline Dobson (Labour)

James Halden* (Conservative)

Tilbury Riverside & Thurrock Park

Jordan Ali (Conservative)

John Arthur Allen (Independent)

Bukky Okunade* (Labour) Tilbury St ChadsSteve Liddiard* (Labour)

David Morgan (Conservative) West Thurrock @ South StiffordQaisar Abbas* (Conservative - elected as Labour)

Dave Harris (Labour) The election will take place on on Thursday, 5 May. Whatever the outcome of the voting, unless Labour could spring a major surprise and win several seats regarded as Tory strongholds as well as hold all their own and win back two seats where candidates defected, it is likely the ruling Conservative administration will retain control of the council. Going into the elections the Conservatives hold 30 seats and have a majority of 11. There are three Thurrock Independent Group councillors and one independent.