EPPING FOREST: Elections to see host of family contests

12:49pm Monday 7th April 2008

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THERE will be plenty of family rivalry when 22 seats come up for grabs at this year's district council elections.

A mother and two of her daughters are standing for the first time while two husbands and their wives are vying to win seats when voters go to the polls on Thursday, May 1.

Election day will be family affair for the Barnecutt family, who live in Ongar, with three of them standing as Green Party candidates.

Jessica Barnecutt is fighting Epping Hemnall, her sister Amy is standing in High Ongar, Willingale and The Rodings, while their solicitor mother Nicola is contesting the Theydon Bois ward.

District council chairman Caroline Pond is seeking re-election in Loughton St John's while her county councillor husband, Chris, is looking to join her at the Civic Offices council chamber by standing in Loughton Forest.

Meanwhile two members of the Butler family are standing for the British National Party, with Edward contesting Loughton St Marys and James fighting Epping Hemnall.

British National Party husband and wife councillors Pat and Tom Richardson are looking to retain their seats - which were among the first four the party won four years ago.

They are involved in an election version of musical chairs with Pat Richardson swopping from the Loughton Fairmead ward to fight for her husband's seat in Loughton Broadway with Mr Richardson moving to contest Loughton Roding.

Also up for re-election are district council vice-chairman John Knapman, council leader Di Collins, deputy leader Chris Whitbread.and former leader Maggie McEwen.

Mrs Collins (Passingford ward) is one of three group leaders fighting to retain their seats.

Also up for re-election is Liberal Democrat leader Jon Whitehouse (Epping Hemnall) and BNP group leader Pat Richardson while Loughton Residents Association group leader Peter House (Loughton Forest) is one of six councillors standing down.

Also retiring are Malcolm Woollard (Buckhurst Hill East), Tony Lee (Loughton St Mary's), Kay Rush (Theydon Bois), Peter McMillan (Waltham Abbey Honey Lane) and Ryan D'Souza (Waltham Abbey South West).

Voters go to the polls on Thursday, May 1, with the ballot papers being counted the following morning.

The current make-up of the 58-seat council, with one vacancy, is: Con 30, Lib Dem 11, BNP 6, LRA 4, Ind Group 2, Lab 1, Others (Independent members who are not members of the independent group) 3.

The full list of candidates standing in the district council elections: BUCKHURST HILL EAST: Graham Cater (BNP), Dev Dodeja (Lib Dem), Marshall Vance (Con).

BUCKHURST HILL WEST: Bob Church (Con), Jill Sutcliffe (Lib Dem).

CHIGWELL ROW: Connie Lye (Lib Dem), Brian Sandler (Local Conservatives); Robert Steel (Green).

CHIGWELL VILLAGE: John Knapman (Local Conservatives), Christopher Lord (Green), Arnold Verrall (Lib Dem).

EPPING HEMNALL: Jessica Barnecutt (Green), James Butler (BNP), Matthew Daniel (Con), Paul Handford (Lab), Jon Whitehouse (Lib Dem).

EPPING LINDSEY AND THORNWOOD COMMON: Tony Bentley (BNP), Simon Bullough (Lab), Lorraine Collier (Lib Dem), Robert Jones (Green), Christopher Whitbread (Con).

GRANGE HILL: David Bateman (Con), Pamela Okonkwo (Lib Dem).

HIGH ONGAR, WILLINGALE AND THE RODINGS: Amy Barnecutt (Green), Maggie McEwen (Con), Brian Surtees (Lib Dem), Robin Tilbrook (English Democrats).

LOUGHTON ALDERTON: Rosemary Brookes (Loughton Residents Association), Tony Frankland (BNP), Margaret Owen (Lab), Roger Taylor (Con), Neil Woollcott (Lib Dem).

LOUGHTON BROADWAY: Jesse Briton (Green), Valerie Metcalfe (Con), Pat Richardson (BNP), Roger Salmon (Lab), Eleonor Spencer (Lib Dem).

LOUGHTON FAIRMEAD: Alexander Copeland (BNP), Ben Glassman (Con), Matthew Hartley (Lab), Peter Sinfield (Lib Dem), David Wixley (Loughton Residents Association).

LOUGHTON FOREST: Rebecca Cohen (Con), Paul Evans (BNP), John Game (Lab), James Hart (Con), Tom Owen (Lab), Christopher Pond (Loughton Residents Association), Enid Robinson (Lib Dem), David White (Loughton Residents Association).

LOUGHTON RODING: Ken Angold-Stephens (Loughton Residents Association), Angela Ayre (Lab), Lorne Daniel (Con), Peter Fuller (Lib Dem), Tom Richardson (BNP).

LOUGHTON ST JOHNS: Jill Bostock (Lab), Caroline Pond (Loughton Residents Association), David Roderick (Lib Dem), Lynne Turpin (BNP), Nigel Wagland (Con).

LOUGHTON ST MARYS: Rodney Barrett (Loughton Residents Association), Edward Butler (BNP), Martin Lawford (Lab), Michael McGough (UK Independence Party), Mick Spence (Lib Dem), Edward Stacey (Con).

MORETON AND FYFIELD: Tony Boyce (Con), Doug Kelly (Lib Dem), Anne Palmer (English Democrats).

PASSINGFORD: Ingrid Black (Lib Dem), Diana Collins (Con).

THEYDON BOIS: Nicola Barnecutt (Green), George Howard (Lib Dem), Terry Howard (BNP), John Philip (Con), Andrew Smith (UK Independence Party).

WALTHAM ABBEY HONEY LANE: Christine Akers (Lib Dem), Jonathon Collier (Con), Gerry Martin (BNP).

WALTHAM ABBEY NORTH EAST: Phil Chadburn (Lib Dem), Jeane Lea (Con).

WALTHAM ABBEY SOUTH WEST: Peggy Ayre (Lib Dem), Martin Harvey (UK Independence Party), Bill Pryor (Con).

-- ELECTIONS are also being held for town and parish councils across the district.

However because of the number of candidates put forward in some areas some of the elections are uncontested.

The uncontested wards are Willingale, Theydon Garnon, Stapleford Abbotts, Stanford Rivers, Paslow Common, Norton Mandeville, Magdalen Laver, Little Laver, High Ongar, High Laver, Grange Hill, Fyfield, Chigwell Village, Chigwell Row, Bobbingworth, Abbess, Beauchamp and Berners Roding.

Elections will be held for the following wards: BUCKHURST HILL TOWN COUNCIL: Buckhurst Hill East (five seats): Dev Dodeja (Lib Dem), Len Martin (Lib Dem), Terence O'Gara (Con), Eleonor Spencer (Lib Dem), Peter Spencer (Lib Dem), Marshall Vance (Con), Malcolm Woollard (Lib Dem).

Buckhurst Hill West (six seatss): Angle Blanche (Lib Dem), Barbara Blossom (Buckhurst Hill Residents Society), Ronald Braybrook (Con), Angela Cass (Lib Dem), Bob Church (Con), Joyce Darby (Lib Dem), Margaret Hollinghurst (Lib Dem), Peter Sinfield (Lib Dem), Jill Sutcliffe (Lib Dem), Haluk Ulkun (Con), Sylvia Watson (Con).

EPPING TOWN COUNCIL: Hemnall ward: William Breare-Hall (Con), Alan Warner (Lib Dem).

LOUGHTON TOWN COUNCIL: Loughton Alderton (three seats): Eddie Boatman (Lab), Maureen Boatman (Lab), Rosemary Brookes (LRA), Simon Bullough (Lab), Tony Frankland (BNP), Raymond Harris (Alliance for Green Socialism), Rodney Law (BNP), Neil Woollcott (Lib Dem).

Loughton Broadway (three seats): Jill Bostock (Lab), Garry Martin (BNP), Valerie Metcalfe (Con), Thomas Owen (Lab), Peter Relph (Alliance for Green Socialism), Pat Richardson (BNP), Roger Salmon (Lab).

Loughton Fairmead (three seats): Alexander Copeland (BNP), Carol Davies (LRA), Peter Fuller (Lib Dem), John Game (Lab), Ben Glassman (Con), Matthew Hartley (Lab), Margaret Owen (Lab), Peter Turpin (BNP).

Loughton Forest (three seats): Jill Angold-Stephens (LRA), Paul Evans (BNP), Suzanne Harper (Loughton Residents Association), Peter House (LRA), Terry Howard (BNP).

Loughton Roding four seats): Ken Angold-Stephens (LRA), Graham Cater (BNP), Margaret Chalk (LRA), Lorne Daniel (Con), Stephen Murray (Independent), Tom Richardson (BNP), David Wixley (Loughton Residents Association).

Loughton St John's (three seats): Peter Cooper (BNP), Stephen Pewsey (LRA), Caroline Pond (LRA), Christopher Pond (LRA), Lynne Turpin (BNP).

Loughton St Mary's (three seats): Rodney Barrett (LRA), Edward Butler (BNP), Susan Clapp (BNP), Lucette Howe (LRA), Edward Stacey (Con), Roy Thomson (LRA).

THEYDON BOIS PARISH COUNCIL (11 seats): Clive Amos (Local Alliance), Jenny Berry (Theydon Bois Independents), Kenneth Cushing (Local Alliance), Bob Day (Local Alliance), Jacqueline Dodman (Theydon Bois Independents), Mike Emmett (Theydon Bois Independents), Peter Gooch (Local Alliance), Peter Hammond (Local Alliance), Mike Hannibal (Local Alliance), Trevor Harvey (Local Alliance), George Howard (Lib Dem), Susan Jones (Local Alliance), Martin Montgomery-Smith (Local Alliance), John Philip (Local Alliance), Anthony Purkiss (Local Alliance), Sue Sowerby (Theydon Bois Independents), Paul Vincent (Theydon Bois Independents).