Who wants your vote on May 7?

There are 164 candidates contesting the 39 seats on the Isle of Wight Council on May 7.

Nine areas will definitely see their councillor change, as their current representatives are not seeking re election: Bembridge (Cllr Joe Robertson MP), Carisbrooke & Gunville (Cllr Joe Lever), Cowes North (Cllr Richard Quigley MP), Freshwater North & Yarmouth (Cllr Peter Spink), Nettlestone & Seaview (Cllr David Adams), Newchurch, Havenstreet & Ashey (Cllr Clare Mosdell), Pan & Barton (Cllr Geoff Brodie), and Wootton Bridge (Cllr Sarah Redrup). The representative for Ryde South-East, Cllr Warren Drew (Conservative) is seeking a return, but in Bembridge.

Reform UK is the only party fielding a candidate in every division. The Conservatives are contesting 36 seats (not standing in Brading & St Helens, Freshwater South, or Parkhurst – against Cllrs Jonathan Bacon, Becca Cameron, and Andrew Garratt respectively), while the Green Party is fielding 26 candidates, Labour 17, the Liberal Democrats 14, and the Vectis Party two. There are also 25 Independents and five candidates standing under the Island Independent Network banner.

Most divisions have between three and five candidates, but Parkhurst & Hunnyhill is the only two way fight. At the other end of the scale, Ryde South East, Sandown North, and Totland & Colwell will have six candidates, making them the most hotly contested seats on the Island.

The nomination papers also reveal some notable shifts in political identity. Two councillors who sit as Empowering Islanders – Cllrs Becca Cameron and Chris Jarman – are standing as Independents, as is Cllr Caroline Gladwin, the Reform UK councillor for Central Rural. Former Tory councillor for Parkhurst and for Newport West, Richard Hollis is also standing as an Independent in Cowes North. In 2019 he lost the seat for the Conservatives to Cllr Richard Quigley, who is standing down following his election as the MP for IW West.

Of the 164 candidates, 70 of them (43 per cent) have decided not to publish their home address, which until 2019 was only allowed under exceptional circumstances. The option is being used in this election by candidates across all political parties except the Vectis Party and some independents, although not those standing for the Island Independent Network.

The full table of nominations sets the stage for an interesting and competitive set of IW Council elections. With the emergence of Reform UK as a new political force, shifting party allegiances and a choice of candidates in every division, the next few weeks will give voters plenty to consider before polling day on May 7.

You can see the full list of those nominated via iw.observer/nominations.