Your Council Tax goes up 6% - now half of Kirklees Cabinet will face voters at the polls ...

Clr David Hall, will have to defend his Liversedge and Gomersal seat.

His close aide and party business manager, Clr Nigel Patrick, is also on the list of councillors whose terms end this May.

Also at threat is the Mayor of Kirklees in waiting, the current Deputy Mayor, Labour’s Clr Gwen Lowe, and the leader of the Lib Dems, Clr Nicola Turner.

Controversial councillor Jean Calvert, suspended by Labour for not paying her council tax and named in the so-called ‘Ratesgate’ scandal of 2016, will not be defending her seat and will step down.

All three major parties have confirmed they have just one incumbent councillor who will not defend their seat.

The three councillors who have declared they are retiring and won’t defend their seats are; Denby Dale Tory – Clr Jim Dodds, Almondbury Lib Dem – Clr Linda Wilkinson and Labour’s Batley East member, Clr Mahmood Akhtar.

The names of candidates set to take on the incumbent councillors will be announced in the coming months. The deadline for nominations for candidates of all parties is 4pm on Friday, April 6. (Lib Dem, retiring), Ashbrow – Clr Jean Calvert (Independent, tbc), Batley East – Clr Mahmood Akhtar (Labour, retiring), Batley West – Clr Gwen Lowe (Labour, standing), Birstall and Birkenshaw – Clr Liz Smaje (Conservative, standing), Cleckheaton – Clr John Lawson, (Lib Dem, standing), Colne Valley – Clr Nicola Turner (Lib Dem, standing), Crosland Moor and Netherton – Clr Erin Hill (Labour, standing), Dalton – Clr Peter McBride (Labour, standing), Denby Dale – Clr Jim Dodds (Conservative, retiring), Dewsbury East – Clr Cathy Scott (Labour, standing), Dewsbury South – Clr Masood Ahmed (Labour, standing), Dewsbury West – Clr Mumtaz Hussain (Labour, standing), Golcar – Clr Andrew Marchington (Lib Dem, standing), Greenhead – Clr Mohan Sokhal (Labour, standing), Heckmondwike – Clr Viv Kendrick (Labour, standing), Holme Valley North – Clr Terry Lyons (Independent, standing), Holme Valley South – Clr Nigel Patrick (Conservative, standing), Kirkburton – Clr Bill Armer (Conservative, standing), Lindley – Clr Cahal Burke (Lib Dem, standing), Liversedge and Gomersal – Clr David Hall (Conservative, standing), Mirfield – Clr Vivien Lees-Hamilton (Conservative, standing), Newsome – Clr Karen Allison (Green, standing).