Hertfordshire County Council election on May 1 promises to be a five-horse race between the major parties – Labour, Conservatives, Reform, the Liberal Democrats and Greens – with all 78 seats on the council up for grabs.

Four of the biggest parties are fielding candidates in all 78 seats, while the Greens are fielding contenders in 77 out of 78.

Herts County Council is one of just 14 authorities holding elections this year, as many local counts have been delayed to 2026 as a result of the Government's planned changes to local government.

The outcome of this year's election could send a decisive signal of voters' direction of travel following Labour's victory at the general election last year.

In 2021, the Conservatives won an overall majority on the council, led by Cllr Richard Roberts. The Tories currently have 46 seats, with the Lib Dems in second place at 22 seats, Labour at six, while the Greens and Reform each have one seat. Five independents also sit on the council.

But the last 12 months has seen the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform UK as a political heavyweight, and observers will be keen to check on the party's progress in this year's local election.

Here, we outline the candidates in all 78 seats:

Cheshunt Central

Green – Madela Baddock

Liberal Democrats – Kostas Inchenko

Reform UK – Siobhan Monaghan

Conservative – Paul Seeby

TUSC – Aaron Smith

Labour – Zahra Spencer

Flamstead End and Turnford

Green – Owen Brett

Liberal Democrats – Dave Bromage

Reform UK – Tony Hill

TUSC – Robert Landon

Labour – Madeline McFadden

Conservative – Mark Mills-Bishop

British Democrats – Ian Seeby

Goffs Oak and Bury Green

Green – Ellie Austen

Labour – Ed Dragusin

Reform UK – Anthony Owen

Conservative – Corina Gander

TUSC – Bea Gardner Asker

Liberal Democrats – David Payne

Hoddesdon North

Liberal Democrats – Nick Belfitt

Labour – Sarah Chapman

Conservative – Alexander Curtis

Reform UK – Giles Hall

Green – Ian Kemp

UKIP – Albert Nicolas

TUSC – Pauline Sulman

Hoddesdon South

TUSC – Josh Asker

Reform UK – Adam Clayton

Green – Sally Kemp

Labour Co-op – Aeden Rooney

Liberal Democrats – Tim Vizer

Conservative – Steve Wortley

Waltham Cross

Reform UK – James Beatty

Liberal Democrats – Fabio Bonfante

Green – Bob Gledhill

Conservative – Dee Hart

Labour – Enka Plaku

TUSC – Christine Thomas

Berkhamsted

Conservative – Gbola Adeleke

Labour – Geraint Cooksley

Green – Kevin Fielding

Reform UK – Adrian Steeples

Liberal Democrats – Nigel Taylor

Bridgewater

Labour – Deborah Charlton

Conservative – Graeme Elliot

Reform UK – Fred Philpott

Green – Rose Sheridan

Liberal Democrats – Caroline Smith-Wright

Hemel Hempstead East

Reform UK – Daniel Bagley

Green – Paul de Hoest

Labour – Jenny Dickson

Liberal Democrats – Cathy McArevey

Conservative – Andrew Williams

Hemel Hempstead North East

Reform UK – Lindsey Betts

Green – Bill Burgar

Independent – Brian Hall

Liberal Democrats – Nicholas Keay

Labour – Goverdhan Silwal

Conservative – Colette Wyatt-Lowe

Hemel Hempstead North West

Conservative – Fiona Guest

Green – Sherief Hassan

Reform UK – David Herring

Labour – Angela Mitchell

Liberal Democrats – Carrie Proctor-Link

Hemel Hempstead South East

Reform UK – Laura Berrill

Conservative – Margaret Griffiths

Green – Andrew Lambert

Labour – Rebecca Mackenzie

Independent – Jan Maddern

Liberal Democrats – Christopher Townsend

Hemel Hempstead St Paul's

Conservative – Julie Banks

Liberal Democrats – Robin Bromham

Labour – Mohamed Fawzi

Green – Paul Harris

Reform UK – Christopher Wright

Hemel Hempstead Town

Reform UK – Linda Ashdown

Liberal Democrats – Adrian England

Green – Christine Ridley

Transform – Gary Ruff

Labour – Janet Ventiroso

Conservative – William Wyatt-Lowe

King's Langley

Reform UK – James Evans

Labour – Jane Gibbons

Liberal Democrats – Susan Jackson

Green – Ashley Lawrence

Conservative – Richard Roberts

Tring

Conservative – Justin Charlton-Jones

Labour – Jim Lawler

Green – Joe Stopps

Liberal Democrats – Sally Symington

Reform UK – Andy White

Bishop's Stortford East

Reform UK – Mike Casey

Heritage – Barry Hensall

Liberal Democrats – Calvin Horner

Labour – Paul Newell

Conservative – David Snowdon

Green – Andrew Zsibrita

Bishop's Stortford Rural

Liberal Democrats – Martin Adams

ADF – Jane Fowler

Reform UK – Jonathan Grose

Labour – Susan Jackson

Conservative – Mark Pope

Green – George Williams

Bishop's Stortford West

Green – Maura Connolly

Reform UK – Harrison Grose

Labour – David Jacobs

Liberal Democrats – Miriam Swainston

Conservative – John Wyllie

Buntingford

Labour – Ian Bell

Liberal Democrats – Karl Harrington

Conservative – Jeff Jones

Green – Georgina Schwan

Reform UK – Terry Smith

Hertford All Saints

Labour – Nahum Clements

Green – Ben Crystall

Conservative – Sean Howlett

Reform UK – Graham McAndrew

Liberal Democrats – Andrew Porrer

Hertford Rural

Conservative – Ken Crofton

Liberal Democrats – Joe Howlett

Labour Co-op – Rob Pinkham

Green – Lydia Somerville

Reform UK – Gayle Ward

Hertford St Andrews

Green – Rachel Carter

TUSC – Sean Figg

Conservative – Ryan Henson

Liberal Democrats – Geoff Madge

Labour – Jack Risbridger

Reform UK – David West

Sawbridgeworth

Conservative – Eric Buckmaster

Reform UK – John Burmicz

Liberal Democrats – Julia Davies

Labour – Dawn Newell

Green – Sarah Santos

Ware North

Reform UK – Nigel Adams

Conservative – David Andrews

TUSC – Bryan Clare

Liberal Democrats – David Davies

Labour – Jack Kidston

Green – Kirsty Taylor-Moran

Ware South

Reform UK – Joanne Belsey

Conservative – Lesley Greensmyth

Liberal Democrats – Freddie Jewitt

Labour – Martin Smith

Green – Steven Watson

Borehamwood North

Conservative – Alexander Bright

Labour Co-op – Parveen Rani

Reform UK – Simon Rhodes

Green – Narinder Sian

Liberal Democrats – Hannah Uri

Independent – Michelle Vince

Borehamwood South

Green – Madalyn Biefeld

Labour – Richard Butler

Liberal Democrats – Annabel Hennessy

Reform UK – Saul Jacob

Conservative – Lucy Selby

Bushey North

Liberal Democrats – Laurence Brass

Conservative – David Carter

Labour Co-op – Michael Mandonga

Reform UK – Antony Michaelson

Green – Michael Rayment

Bushey South

Labour Co-op – Nik Oakley

Conservative – Seamus Quilty

Reform UK – Arabella Rolland

Liberal Democrats – Chris Shenton

Green – Matt Wheeler

Potters Bar East

Conservative – John Graham

Liberal Democrats – Lisa Griffin

Labour Co-op – Tushar Kumar

Green – David Lister

Independent – Jonathan Meldrum

Reform UK – Craig Young

Potters Bar West and Shenley

Conservative – Morris Bright

Liberal Democrats – Holly Gunning

Green – Ed Poole

Labour – Radhika Settipalli

Reform UK – Louise Soffer

Watling

Reform UK – Gus Channer

Conservative – Caroline Clapper

Liberal Democrats – Stuart Howard

Labour Co-op – Satvinder Juss

Green – Cheryl Stungo

Baldock and Letchworth East

Liberal Democrats – David Chalmers

Reform UK – Pippa Clayton

Green – Tim Lee

Conservative – Michael Muir

Labour Co-op – Alistair Willoughby

Hitchin North

Labour Co-op – Ian Albert

CPA – Daisy Appoh

Reform UK – Ashley Brandon

Green – Deolinda Eltringham

Conservative – Michael Goddard

Liberal Democrats – Dominic Griffiths

Hitchin Rural

CPA – Bob Adams

Conservative – David Barnard

Liberal Democrats – Sal Jarvis

Green – Mary Marshall

Labour – Nigel Mason

Reform UK – Ravi Odedra

Hitchin South

CPA – Sid Cordle

Conservative – Anthony John-Goodman

Liberal Democrats – Chris Lucas

Reform UK – Tracy Maney

Green – Elizabeth Ryder Ford

Labour – Indie Sunner

Knebworth and Codicote

Labour – Daniel Allen

Liberal Democrats – Sandreni Bonfante

Conservative – Ralph Muncer

Reform UK – James Murray-Watson

Green – Des Stephens

Letchworth North

Conservative – Hammad Baig

Labour Co-op – Tina Bhartwas

Reform UK – Harrison Edwards

Green – David Morris

Liberal Democrats – Claire Winchester

Letchworth South

Labour Co-op – Amy Allen

Conservative – Terry Hone

Green – Dugald Muir

Liberal Democrats – Sean Prendergast

Reform UK – Garry Warren

Royston East and Ermine

Conservative – Callum Bartram-Bell

Liberal Democrats – Ruth Brown

Reform UK – Fraser Jones

Labour Co-op – Sarah Lucas

Green – Peter Wilkin

Royston West and Rural

Conservative – Suzy Brandes

Reform UK – Alan Deeney

Liberal Democrats – Steve Jarvis

Labour Co-op – Vijaiya Poopalasingham

Green – Julie Rackham

Colney Heath and Marshalswick

Liberal Democrats – John Hale

Conservative – Frances Leonard

Green – Sally Leonard

Reform UK – Kaylee Muldoon

Labour – Nick Pullinger

Harpenden North East

Green – Lesley Baker

Conservative – Teresa Heritage

Reform UK – David Johnson

Labour – Neil Mulcock

Liberal Democrats – Stuart Roberts

Harpenden Rural

Labour – Tom Chatfield

Conservative – Ian Hawking

Green – Oliver Hitch

Reform UK – Philip Wells

Liberal Democrats – Alison Wren

Harpenden South West

Reform UK – Stephen Bird

Green – Tanja Bruckmann-Rath

Conservative – Matt Cowley

Labour – Ben Dearman

Liberal Democrats – Edgar Hill

London Colney

Conservative – James Cook

Labour – Mike Hobday

Reform UK – Eleanor Jackson

Liberal Democrats – Liz Needham

Green – Mark Park-Crowne

St Albans Central

Reform UK – David Appleby

Labour – Mason Day

Communist – Mark Ewington

Green – Matt Fisher

Liberal Democrats – Jojo Godfrey

Conservative – Ambrose Killen

St Albans East

Conservative – Richard Curthoys

Reform UK – Jane Dawson-Davis

Labour – John Paton

Liberal Democrats – Anthony Rowlands

Green – Lucy Swift

St Albans North

Liberal Democrats – Helen Campbell

Conservative – Don Deepthi

Green – Livvy Gibbs

Labour – Sarah Heiser

Reform UK – Stewart Vassie

St Albans South

Labour – Steve Clark

Reform UK – Haylee Freedman

Conservative – Graham Leonard

Green – Juliet Voisey

Liberal Democrats – Sandy Walkington

St Stephen's

Labour – Laurence Chester

Liberal Democrats – Ajanta Hilton

Reform UK – Craig Holliday

Conservative – Stella Nash

Green – Gabriel Roberts

Bedwell

Green – Balgiisa Ahmed

Liberal Democrats – Nigel Bye

Reform UK – Peter Colley

Conservative – David Denny-Stubbs

TUSC – Steve Glennon

Labour Co-op – Ellie Plater

Broadwater

Reform UK – Janet Bainbridge

Liberal Democrats – David Barks

Labour Co-op – Coleen De Freitas

TUSC – Helen Kerr

Conservative – Adam Mitchell

Green – Glen Rozemont

Chells

Labour Co-op – Forhad Chowdhury

TUSC – Mark Gentleman

Reform UK – Robert Henry

Green – Dave Ingarfill

Conservative – Margaret Notley

Liberal Democrats – Robert Parker

Old Stevenage

Reform UK – Douglas Bainbridge

Liberal Democrats – Jill Brinkworth

Labour Co-op – Richard Henry

TUSC – Trevor Palmer

Green – Becca Watts

Conservative – Maria Wheeler

Shephall

TUSC – Barbara Clare

Conservative – Victoria Facey

Labour Co-op – Jackie Hollywell

Liberal Democrats – Jaysica Marvell

Green – Stephani Mok

Reform UK – Wendy Rouse

St Nicholas

Green – Jennifer Arndt

Conservative – Phil Bibby

Liberal Democrats – Neil Brinkworth

TUSC – Amber Gentleman

Reform UK – Matthew Hurst

Labour Co-op – Claire Parris

Abbots Langley

Independent – Sara Bedford

Reform UK – Gavin Casey

Labour – Pierce Culliton

Conservative – Vicky Edwards

Liberal Democrats – Stephen Giles-Medhurst

Green – Jane Powell

Croxley

Conservative – Gordon Elvey

Liberal Democrats – Chris Lloyd

Green – Chris Mitchell

Reform UK – George Moss

Labour – Jeni Swift Gillett

Rickmansworth East and Oxhey Park

Green – Deesha Chandra

Liberal Democrats – Raj Khiroya

Reform UK – Sonja Flynn

Conservative – Vishal Patel

Labour – Bruce Prochnik

Rickmansworth West

Reform UK – Dane Clarke

Liberal Democrats – Simy Dhyani

Labour – Margaret Gallagher

Conservative – Paula Hiscocks

Green – Malcolm Lee

South Oxhey and Eastbury

Conservative – Christopher Alley

Labour – Stephen King

Green – Chris Lawrence

Reform UK – Taylor Smith

Liberal Democrats – Rhys Southall

Three Rivers Rural

Reform UK – Melvyn Clifford

Labour – Stuart Lines

Liberal Democrats – Louise Price

Conservative – Ciaran Reed

Green – Roger Stafford

Central Watford and Oxhey

Green – Matt Jones

Labour – Sonu Masania

TUSC – James O'Connor

Liberal Democrats – Peter Taylor

Reform UK – Neal Webber

Conservative – Peter Williams

Meriden Tudor

Reform UK – Mark Dixon

Liberal Democrats – Penelope Hill

Green – John Jowers

Labour – Keith Morgan

Conservative – Jennifer Raperport

Nascot Park

Reform UK – John Craddock

Green – Andrew Gallagher

Labour – Minesh Pareek

Liberal Democrats – Mark Watkin

Conservative – Stephen Woodard

North Watford

TUSC – Derek Foster

Labour – Asif Khan

Heritage – Sarah Knott

Conservative – Danny Mosley

Green – Bruce Perry

Liberal Democrats – Richard Short

Reform UK – Xiaolei Xie

West Watford

Labour – Nigel Bell

Liberal Democrats – Aga Dychton

Reform UK – David Ealey

Green – David Gordon

TUSC – Mark O'Connor

Conservative – Sanjaya Pant

Woodside Stanborough

Conservative – Lola Adedoyin

Reform UK – Malcolm Caborn

Labour – Anne Joynes

Green – Jake Mitchell

Liberal Democrats – Tim Williams

Haldens

Labour – Leo Gilbert

Reform UK – John Redmond

Conservative – Durk Reyner

Liberal Democrats – Hillary Skoczylas

Green – Lesley Smith

Handside and Peartree

Conservative – Jeet Dhelaria

Reform UK – Tom Holdsworth

Green – Philip Hopley

TUSC – Mark Kerr

Labour – Darren Lewis

Liberal Democrats – Gemma Moore

Hatfield East

Reform UK – Michael Blissett

Liberal Democrats – Helena Goldwater

Green – Ian Gregory

TUSC – Mark Pickersgill

Conservative – David Rose

Labour – Vaishali Shah

Hatfield North

Liberal Democrats – Adam Edwards

Labour – Beth Kelly

Green – Andreas Kukol

Conservative – Brian Seeger

Reform UK – Pete Whitehead

Hatfield Rural

Heritage – Mia Americanos-Molinaro

Labour – Graham Beevers

Green – William Berrington

Liberal Democrats – Anthony Green

Reform UK – Michael Southwell

Conservative – Fiona Thomson

Hatfield South

Labour – Kamal Hussain

Reform UK – Jane Johnson

Conservative – Teresa Travell

Liberal Democrats – Paul Zukowskyj

Welwyn

Liberal Democrats – Jacqueline Brennan

Green – David Cox

Conservative – Tony Kingsbury

Labour – Andrew Osborne

Reform UK – Mark Smith

Welwyn Garden City South

Conservative – Marios Artemi

Reform UK – Mark Biddle

Green – Stephen Iwasyk

Liberal Democrats – Jean-Paul Skoczylas

Labour – Anthony Toole