The elections on May 7th will be an opportunity for millions to show their anger at the establishment party politicians and the rigged system of capitalism – with its menu choices of inequality, austerity, racism, environmental vandalism and war – that they preside over.

But in a modest number of contests, just under a fifth of the English council wards or divisions with elections and in some Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd seats, there will be a choice of an anti-cuts, anti-war candidate available.

Of these, 286 candidates, contesting seats in 64 local authorities in England, are using one of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) descriptions on their ballot paper, with candidates also standing in mayoral contests in Croydon, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets. A full list of these is available here, with the English council candidates presented in a regional breakdown.

Independents with a difference

In addition, however, there are at least 320 other candidates who are appearing on the ballot paper as independents or on behalf of a local community party. Not the usual type of ‘non-political independents – which itself is a political stance – but candidates who could properly be described as standing in opposition to Keir Starmer’s austerity and war agenda. And then there are a further 115 standing for other left-wing parties, including Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s Your Party. A report on all the Your Party, independents, and other left-wing council candidates is available here.

So if you think that it is time to vote for socialist change, and you are in one of the seats where there is a chance to do so, why not start on May 7th? ■

Results reporting

Individual results will be published on social media as they come in; and a full account of the campaign, with the detailed results of every candidate listed in the two reports, will be prepared for the next TUSC all-Britain steering committee meeting on Wednesday May 13th.

A draft version will be posted early next week and, after discussion at the steering committee, published on the Candidates Page as a public record – as has been TUSC practice every year since 2011.