Time to get out and vote

POLLING day in the May 3 local elections for Hillingdon is nearly upon us.

This means you’ll get the chance to vote for the ward councillors you want to represent you in the borough for the next four years.

Voting is vitally important – as councillors make decisions on issues including education, housing, transport, social care and waste.

That’s why we’ve rounded up a full list of the candidates – and parties – standing in every ward in Hillingdon ahead of polling day.

Hillingdon is strongly Conservative-controlled at the moment and has been for 20 years, but Labour is hopeful of capitalising on the potentially damaging issues of Brexit and austerity and hopes to take more seats in the middle and north of the borough to diminish the Tory majority. They have a major task on their hands to accomplish this though, as the Conservatives currently have 42 seats and Labour just 23.

You can cast your votes at polling stations from 7am to 10pm on the day. Details of polling stations will be sent out on your polling cards, or can be found online at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/elections.

For those unable to make it in person, you must register for a proxy vote (when someone votes on your behalf ) or a postal vote (cast by post) by 5pm on Wednesday April 25.

There will be 65 councillors elected across the 22 wards around the borough. Here is a full list of the wards and candidates.

Key: CON = Conservative, LAB = Labour, LD = Liberal Democracts, IND = Independent

Barnhill

Cameron Bell CON Jas Dhot LAB Jem Duducu CON Tony Eginton LAB Rachel Moustafa GREEN Kerri Prince LAB Rachel Xuereb CON

Botwell

Piotr Cimaszkiewicz POLISH PRIDE Jack Cramp CON Scott Farley LAB Janet Gardner LAB Isha Masson CON Cat Mayne GREEN John Oswell LAB Rachael Strong CON

Brunel

John Bond LAB Roy Chamdal CON Huzaifa Essajee GREEN Mohammed Islam LAB Beth Mackin GREEN Richard Mills CON Gillian Oswell LAB Brian Stead CON

Cavendish

Teji Barnes CON Ian Campbell LAB Alic Greenham GREEN Eddie Lavery CON