Candidates confirmed for borough council elections

The candidates for election to Swindon Borough Council on Thursday 22 May have been confirmed. East Wichel is part of the Old Town ward of Swindon Borough Council, in which four candidates are standing for election. In alphabetical order they are:

• Claire Ellis (Conservative Party)
• Deborah King (Liberal Democrats)
• John Short (UK Independence Party)
• Nadine Watts (Labour Party)

Nadine Watts is one of the three current councillors for Old Town and, as the one that received fewest votes in the all-out elections in 2012, is the first up for re-election. Two of the other candidates have also been councillors on Swindon Borough Council, though not representing this part of the town. Claire Ellis is currently a councillor in Haydon Wick ward where she was first elected in 2011. John Short was a councillor from 2006 to 2012 in Highworth ward.

Elections to the European Parliament will be held on the same day, for which eight parties have candidates listed. The local polling station for both elections will be at East Wichel Primary School, with the polls open from 7 am to 10 pm.