OKEHAMPTON is bucking the trend in this May?s local elections ? while many parish councils have failed to attract enough candidates to provide a hard-fought contest, it will be a 19-horse race for the 14 council seats.

Following the noon deadline for nominations on Tuesday, it was revealed there are ten people contesting the seven seats in the Okehampton West ward on May 1.

Four of these are already serving on the council ? John Maguire, Christine Marsh, Pat Snell and Stan Stormont. Also throwing their hats into the ring are Jayne Hill, Charles Letchford, Frederick Read, Kenneth Riddick, Mark Slater and David Weekes.

And there will be a fight for the seven seats in the town?s East ward. Serving councillors Sheila Gregory, Joanna Harrison, Tony Leech, Frances Luxton, Hyder Pirwany and Michael Roberts will fight to be re-elected along with new candidates Mark Barrett, Mike Davies and Peter Stunnell.

But the healthy crop of candidates in Okehampton does not appear to be repeated elsewhere in West Devon ? of 44 councils, just ten will actually hold elections for seats.

Monkokehampton has attracted ten candidates for its seven available seats; in Broadwoodkelly nine will fight for seven and Northlew?s nine seats will be fought by ten candidates .

The majority of people standing for their parishes are likely to get in uncontested ? and in some parishes, like Beaworthy and Inwardleigh, nobody has been nominated for the available seats.

David Incoll, West Devon Borough Council?s chief executive, said the situation in parishes where there were no candidates would be looked at with a view to going through the procedure again. It could result in parish meetings being held to discuss the

matter.

The list of candidates in the north of the borough are as follows:

Beaworthy, East Beaworthy, (2 seats, no canddidates applied)

Beaworthy (5, no candidates applied)

Belstone (7, no contest): Michael Ash, Peter Cooper, Stella Hudson, Ann Norman (Conservative), Andrew Terry, Marion Walpole, Andrew Wood.

Bratton Clovelly (7, no contest): David Bagshall, Paul Bellamy (Conservative), Torben Hughes, Mary Jordan, Philip Worth.

Bridestowe (7, no contest): Diana Lavis, John Leonard, Alison Young

Broadwoodkelly (7): Robin Gant, Andrew Hawkey, Francis Hawkey, Roger Heggadon, Trevor Hill, Millicent Maunder, Maurice Reed, Maurice Skinner, Julian Steer-Fowler.

Chagford (12, no contest): Terry Bleakman, Paula Chatfield, Judith Cosford, Peter Hill, Margaret Jeffreys, Andrew Parrott, Linda Philpott, Robert Sampson, John Shears, Robert Young.

Drewsteignton, Crockernwell, (2, no contest): Geoffrey Cutting.

Drewsteignton, Venton, (1, no contest): Michael Hall.

Drewsteignton (3): Jane Cox, Peter Mayo, Jennifer Mullins, Nigel Padfield, Tobias Rubbra.

Drewsteignton, Whiddon Down (3, no contest): John Dyke, Margery Wonnacott..

Exbourne (5, no contest) Ian Brooker, Susan Hordern; Michael Macklin.

Germansweek (5, no contest): Philip Hamlyn.

Hatherleigh (10, no contest): Richard Jones, Deborah Trengove, Olive Reynolds, Madeline Taylor, Ian Trenaman, Gregory Vick.

Highampton (7): Dewar Baker, Ben Bendall, Mary Dayman, Charles Dumpleton, Julian Gilling, Glenn Rose, Maurice Thomas, Sandra Willetts.

Iddesleigh (7, no contest): Gerald Cox, Andrew Lane, Herbert Partridge, Edward Sweet, Katherine Weeks.

Inwardleigh, Folly Gate ( 4, no candidates applied)

Inwardleigh (3. no candidates appliedt).

Jacobstowe (2. no contest): Ian Laird.

Meeth (7. no contest): Peter Cobbledick, John Crocker, George Gibson, Richard Goaman, Derek Horn, Brian Toop.

Monkokehampton (7.): Dawn Beckford-Ball, Thomas Dennis, William Fairchild, Peter Fishleigh, Louise Hansen, Sidney Murrin, Barbara Pearce, Donald Phare, Sandra Pruski , Leonard Stentiford.

North Tawton (12 no contest): Paul Baker, Derrick Field, Gillian Hoggins, Ronald Iles, John Kinsey, Mary Morgan, Nicholas Morgan, Michael Thwaites, David Tucker, Patrick Ward, Robert Whiteley, Stephen Whiteley.

Northlew (9): Jane Colbourne, Winifred Davey, Bryan Dufty, John Feltham, John Grierson, Derek Humphreys, Timothy Stanleick, Richard Tanner, Helena Williams, Juliet Yelland.

Okehampton East (7): Mark Barrett, Mike Davies, Sheila Gregory (Liberal Democrat), Joanna Harrison (Local Conservative). Antony Leech, Frances Luxton, Hyder Ali Pirwany (Local Conservative), Michael Roberts, Peter Stunnell (Conservative).

Okehampton West (7): Jayne Hill (Local Conservative), Charles Letchford (Conservative), John Maquire (Liberal Democrat), Christine Marsh, Frederick Read, Kenneth Riddick (Conservative), Mark Slater (Local Conservative), Patricia Snell (Liberal Democrat), Stanley Stormont, David Weeks.

Okehampton Hamlets, Brightley (3, no contest), Derek Godfrey-Brown, Peter Green, Dudley Luxton.

Okehampton Hamlets, Okehampton Park, (5, no contest): Philip Heard, Kenneth Heard, Richard Jefferies, Ivor Pellow.

Sampford Courtenay (8, no contest): John Askew, Gwyneth Dickinson, Sandra Harper, John Love, Anthony Morris, David Sercombe, Clifford Squire.

Sourton (7, no contest): Geoffrey Alford, Susan Eberle, Geoffrey Gill, John Hockridge, Geraldine Jury, John Leonard, James McInnes.

South Tawton (10, no contest): William Cann, William Curtis, John Darch, Ronald Darch, William Madders, Julian Pillar, Raymond Souness, Robert Tilley, Andrew White, Clifford White.

Spreyton (7, no contest): Richard Brook, Sarah Collins, Robert Henderson, Clive Lott, Eric Osborn-Hodge, William Porritt.

Sticklepath (7, no contest): Ann Bowden, Ian Bowkley, Jeremy Grey, Terence Holman, Jane Sillifant.

Throwleigh (7, no contest): Rupert Clarkson, Jacqueline Crawford, Elizabeth Lawrence, Maureen Miles, Norman Tuck, Alice Wells.