ELECTORS in West Devon go to the polls next month to vote for a new council ? but eight of the 31 seats have been filled without a fight.
The two Bere Ferrers seats and six in the Okehampton rural area have failed to attract enough candidates for a ballot.
The nominations, which closed at noon on Tuesday, show the traditional two-party dogfight between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats continues unabated, with both bidding to take control of the borough.
Labour has only one candidate in the field, as has the Green Party, but the UK Independence Party has joined the fray with four members seeking seats.
The biggest battle will be in Tavistock North where eight candidates are fighting for three seats. In the neighbouring south ward there are six bidding for the three seats.
And the new Tavistock South West ward has attracted a candidate from each of the three main parties. The Liberal Democrat challenger is former borough mayor Alison Clish-Green, who was unseated four years ago amid voter discontent about the Bedford Square enhancement scheme. Labour?s standard bearer is veteran party worker Betty Batchelor and the Tories? man is David Best.
In Okehampton West the Tories are assured of one of the two seats ? they have two candidates standing, sitting member Jayne Hill and party agent Mark Slater ? while the Liberal Democrats are fielding just one, Kenneth Williams.
At Milton Ford, which covers the Chillaton-Lewdown area, sitting member Conservative Dilwyn Hughes faces a challenge from Independent Michael Pithouse ? Mr Pithouse won the seat four years ago but later resigned and Mr Hughes took it in a by-election. Joining the fray there is Liberal Democrat Borough Group leader Nicholas Waterhouse, who has switched from the Burrator seat he held.
Diana Moyse, who represented Lydford for the Tories until she resigned last year, is contesting the Burrator ward against Liberal Democrat Michael Parle.
Unusually, the Conservatives have opted for a variety of descriptions with many preferring to describe themselves as ?Local Conservative? rather than the traditional label.
Party agent Mark Slater scoffed at suggestions that the move was an attempt to distance local Tories from the party nationally. It was, he said, to enable to people to get away from the ?starchy? description of the past.
He said: ?This is a local election. Our candidates were given a variety of options as to how they could be described, but they had to include the word Conservative for their official party nomination.?
Not seeking re-election is Conservative Richard Phillips, the borough?s youngest mayor, who recently moved to Bratton Clovelly.
Also standing down are Independents Pat Warne, of Tavistock, and Joan Pauley, of Okehampton.
The current make-up of the 30-seat council is: Independents 13, Liberal Democrats 9, Conservatives 7, Vacant seat 1. Boundary changes have since created an extra seat.
Elections take place on Thursday May 1. Wards and candidates for West Devon seats are as follows ? all are Independents unless otherwise stated.
Bere Ferrers (2 seats uncontested)
Christine Grills: Liberal Democrat
Eaon Wager: Local Conservative.
Bridestowe (1 seat uncontested)
John Hockridge
Buckland Monachorum (2 seats)
Margaret Garton
John Soul: Conservative
Emily Williams: UK Independence Party
Burrator (1 seat)
Diana Moyse: Local Conservative
Michael Parle: Liberal Democrat
Chagford (1 seat uncontested)
Peter Hill
Drewsteignton (1 seat uncontested)
Paul Ridgers: Conservative
Exbourne (1 seat)
Denise Herrod-Taylor
David Weeks: UK Independence Party
Hatherleigh (1 seat uncontested)
Dennis Bater
Lew Valley (1 seat)
Noel Cartwright: Liberal Democrat
James McInnes: Local Conservative
Lydford (1 seat)
Susan Bamford: UK Independence Party
Audrey Vigni: Liberal Democrat
Robert Williamson: Community First Local Conservative
Mary Tavy (1 seat)
Pam Scannell: Liberal Democrat
David Whitcomb: Conservative
Milton Ford (1 seat)
Dilwyn Hughes: Conservative
Michael Pithouse
Nicholas Waterhouse: Liberal Democrat
North Tawton (1 seat uncontested)
Nick Morgan
Okehampton East (2 seats)
Mike Davies
Joanna Harrison : Local Conservative
Elaine Kale: Liberal Democrat
Hyder Pirwany: Local Conservative
Okehampton West (2 seats)
Jayne Hill: Local Conservative
Mark Slater: Local Conservative
Kenneth Williams: Liberal Democrat
South Tawton (1 seat uncontested)
John Darch
Tamarside (1 seat)
Robin Pike
Clive Small
Martin Taylor: Liberal Democrat
Tavistock North (3 seats)
Roy Connelly: Liberal Democrat
Richard Eberlie: Conservative
Peter Jones: Liberal Democrat
Caroline Keane
Martin Quinn: Green Party
Jane Ramsey: Conservative
David Stapleton: Liberal Democrat
Shaun Watchorn: Conservative
Tavistock South (3 seats)
Peter Aizlewood: Liberal Democrat
Mandy Govier: Conservative
Roger Mathew
Ted Sherrell
Terence West: Liberal Democrat
Alex Wood: Liberal Democrat
Tavistock South West (1 seat)
Betty Batchelor: Labour
David Best: Conservative
Alison Clish-Green: Liberal Democrat
Thrushel (1 seat)
Christopher Hill: Conservative
Dawn Rogers
Walkham (2 seats)
Laurie Leask: UK Independence Party
Sally Monk: Liberal Democrat
Jane Waterhouse: Liberal Democrat
l Parish elections ? page 7.