Cheshire East will definitely have at least 21 new faces after next week's elections because of the number of councillors standing down – but will it be under the control of one party?

It would take a brave person to predict the outcome of this particular election for a council which had been a Conservative stronghold until 2019.

The council is currently under no overall control and is run by a joint Labour/Independent administration after the Conservatives lost their majority in the May 2019 election.

The magic number for the Conservatives and Labour on Thursday is 42. If either party can obtain 42 of the 82 seats up for grabs, then they will have control of the council.

No other party can gain overall control because the others are not fielding enough candidates. As we have seen over the past four years though, councillors from other local parties, together with Independents, have played a significant role in the running of the council.

Since Cheshire East was formed in 2009, only the Conservatives have managed to get past the magic 42 seat mark.

But there was a major shock in 2019 when they lost control of the council, dropping from the 53 seats gained in the 2015 election to just 34 four years later.

And since that 2019 election, the composition of the council has changed again slightly, at the expense of the Tories.

Councillors Sarah Pochin and David Marren were both out of Cheshire East Conservative Group after political disagreements with the local party.

Both joined the Independent Group – although Cllr Pochin was later turfed out of that for re-joining the Conservative Party so she could vote in the national leadership election a few months ago. She is not seeking re-election this time round.

Former Conservative councillor Nicky Wylie jumped ship in January last year.

Cllr Wylie, who worked in the NHS throughout the pandemic, said she had no issues with the Cheshire East Conservative Group but quit because of the national 'partygate' scandal. She became a non-grouped Independent councillor and is not standing in this year's elections.

And Cllr Andrew Gregory quit the Conservatives last summer because of concerns about what was going among the Tory leadership at national level at the time. He joined the Independent Group, but is not standing for re-election this year.

The current composition of the council is Conservatives 30, Labour 24, Independent Group 17, Liberal Democrats four and there are four non-grouped councillors.

At present, the Conservatives actually only have 29 sitting councillors following the sad death earlier this month of long serving Dane Valley councillor Les Gilbert.

Three other seats on Cheshire East are currently vacant. One of the two Handforth seats is vacant following the sad death of Independent councillor Barry Burkhill in November and the Macclesfield Hurdsfield seat is vacant following the sad passing of Labour's Steve Carter in December.

One Macclesfield Tytherington seat has been vacant for a number of months after former councillor Lloyd Roberts quit the council.

Cheshire East has been struck by tragedy over the past four years with five councillors in total sadly dying while in office.

Long-serving councillor Dorothy Flude died in December 2019 and Brian Roberts passed away in February 2020. Both were Labour councillors and their seats were retained by Labour at by-elections.

With so many national and local factors coming into play this time round, the introduction of Voter ID, and a large number of candidates standing for local parties and as Independents, the outcome of this election is difficult to predict.

Voters going to the polling stations on Thursday must take photo ID.

Below is the list of all 254 candidates standing for Cheshire East Council on Thursday, May 4.

Alderley Edge: Emma Boxer (Green Party); Craig Browne (Alderley Edge First); Carl Curran (Conservative).

Alsager: Brian Drake (Labour); Rod Fletcher (Liberal Democrats); Reg Kain (Liberal Democrats); Richard McCarthy (Green Party); Hilary Robinson (Green Party); Michael Unett (Labour); Wendy Whittaker-Large (Conservative); Sam Worthington (Conservative).

Audlem: Rachel Bailey (Conservative); John Phillips (Liberal Democrats).

Bollington: Jennifer Allen (Green Party); Liam Bergin (Green Party); Ken Edwards (Labour); Johanna Maitland (Liberal Democrats); James Nicholas (Bollington First); John Place (Labour); Amanda Stott (Bollington First); Jon Weston (Conservative); John Withers (Conservative).

Brereton Rural: Robert Douglas (Liberal Democrats); Mark Mitchell (Labour); John Wray, (Conservative).

Broken Cross and Upton: Uche John (Conservative); Gareth Jones (Conservative); Judy Snowball (Labour); Rob Vernon (Labour).

Bunbury: Jonathan Bill (Liberal Democrats); Rebecca Posnett (Conservative).

Chelford: Anthony Harrison (Conservative); Maureen Harrop (Independent); Nick Speakman (Green Party); Nicola Standitch (Liberal Democrats).

Congleton East Martin Amies (Independent); Dave Brown (Conservative); Paul Duffy (Liberal Democrats); Sally Holland (Conservative); Lisa Miller (Green Party); Rob Moreton (Independent); Denis Murphy (Liberal Democrats); Heather Pearce (Independent); Sarah Russell (Labour); Kay Wesley (Women's Equality Party); Glen Williams (Conservative).

Congleton West: Suzie Akers Smith (Independent); Mark Edwardson (Independent); Suzy Firkin (Liberal Democrats); Emma Hall (Conservative); George Hayes (Conservative); Robert Hemsley (Liberal Democrats); Mark Hill (Independent); Amanda Martin (Conservative); Heather Seddon (Labour); Olga Whitmore (Green Party).

Crewe Central: Anthony Critchley (Labour); Ireneusz Kryczka (Putting Crewe First); Christopher Waling (Conservative); Matthew Wood (Reform UK).

Crewe East: Jackie Barthelmes (Putting Crewe First); Jonathan Bebbington (Conservative); Martin Edwards (Labour); Helen Elliott (Putting Crewe First); Melanie English (Green Party); Hazel Faddes (Labour); Richard Ford (Putting Crewe First); Carol Groves (Conservative); Peter Hargreaves (Conservative); Ian Mumford (Green Party); Jill Rhodes (Labour); Gareth Woods (Green Party).

Crewe North: Joy Bratherton (Labour); Daniel Hill (Conservative); Brian Silvester (Putting Crewe First).

Crewe South: Adam Boulton-Rawlinson (Conservative); Dawn Clark (Labour); Tom Maguire , (Putting Crewe First); Ryan Moore (Conservative); Toni Mortimer (Putting Crewe First); Laura Smith (Labour).

Crewe St Barnabas: Sally Handley (Labour); Geoff Palin (Putting Crewe First); James Pratt (Conservative).

Crewe West: Daniel Bull (Conservative); Marilyn Houston (Labour); Stephen Macallan (Putting Crewe First); Connor Naismith (Labour); Craig Porter (Putting Crewe First); Jacquie Weatherill (Conservative).

Dane Valley: Russell Chadwick (Conservative); Robert Green (Green Party); Craig Hynes (Labour); Andrew Kolker (Conservative); Diane Tams (Liberal Democrats); Martin Wood (Green Party).

Disley: Sue Adams (Conservative); Neil Carter (Labour); Paul Moss (Independent).

Gawsworth: Sam Hale (Labour); Eleanor Hall (Liberal Democrats); Lesley Smetham (Conservative); Andrew Wheatstone (Green Party).

Handforth: James Earl (Liberal Democrats); Simon Hutchence (Conservative); Ribia Nisa (Labour); Matthew Robertson (Conservative); John Smith (Independent); Julie Smith (Independent).

Haslington: Te Browne (Green Party); Steven Edgar (Conservative); Alison Heler (Conservative); Jamie Messent (Labour); Simon Richards (Labour).

High Legh: Christopher Fortune (Liberal Democrats); Kate Parkinson (Conservative); Andy Sheik El Wright'O (Official Monster Raving Loony Party).

Knutsford: Sue Addison (Labour); Adrian Cardwell (Liberal Democrats); Peter Coan (Conservative); Tony Dean (Conservative); Stewart Gardiner (Conservative); Kevin Harkin (Labour); Amanda Iremonger (Green Party); April Johnson (Independent); Rex Mears (Independent).

Leighton: Clair Chapman (Labour); Teja Vaddala (Conservative); Jim Weir (Independent).

Macclesfield Central: Jessica Beaumont (Conservative); Liz Braithwaite (Labour); Stephen Broadhead (Liberal Democrats); Ashley Farrall (Labour); John Knight (Green Party); Abhishika Srivastav (Conservative).

Macclesfield East: Terry Bell (Labour); Lindy Brett (Green); Christopher Lovell (Liberal Democrats); Nicholas Taylor (Conservative); Mick Warren (Independent).

Macclesfield Hurdsfield: Sarah Bennett-Wake (Labour); Steve Broadhurst (Liberal Democrats); Barrie Malpas (Conservative).

Macclesfield South: Joyce Beasley (Conservative); David Dooley (Conservative); Eddie Murphy (Independent); Andy Oldfield (Independent); John Peckham (Green Party); Brian Puddicombe, (Labour); Fiona Wilson (Labour).

Macclesfield Tytherington: John Bowden (Labour); Beverley Dooley (Conservative); David Edwardes (Tytherington Ward Independents); Emma Gilman (Tytherington Ward Independents); Walter Houston (Green Party); John Le Moignan (Conservative); David Mayers (Green Party).

Macclesfield West & Ivy: Mary Brooks (Labour); Nick Mannion (Labour); Rajeev Rajan (Conservative); Timothy Swatridge (Conservative).

Middlewich: John Bird (Independent); Robert Brittain (Conservative); Carol Bulman (Labour); Paul Edwards (Conservative); David Harrop (Conservative); Michael Hunter (Labour); Cerys Jones (Green Party); Garnet Marshall (Independent); Jonathan Parry (Labour).

Mobberley: Kevin Boyle (Liberal Democrats); Hannah Moss (Conservative); Paul Thomson (Labour).

Nantwich North & West: Stuart Bostock (Independent); Anna Burton (Labour); Kim Heyes (Green Party); Vicky Higham (Conservative); Tom Levins (Green Party); Arthur Moran (Independent); John Statham (Conservative).

Nantwich South & Stapeley: Peter Groves (Conservative); Andrew Martin (Conservative); John Priest (Labour); Geoffrey Smith (Labour).

Odd Rode: Ursula Griffiths (Labour); Gareth Lindop (Labour); Patrick Redstone (Conservative); Liz Wardlaw (Conservative).

Poynton East & Pott Shrigley: James Booth (Green Party); Sarah Marshall (Labour); Tim O'Rourke (Social Democratic Party); Jos Saunders (Conservative); Geoff Thompson (Labour); Hayley Whitaker (Conservative).

Poynton West & Adlington: Michael Beanland (Conservative); Kathy Booth (Green Party); Amy House (Labour); Tony Penny (Labour); Mike Sewart (Conservative).

Prestbury: Thelma Jackson (Conservative); Stuart Redgard (Independent).

Sandbach Elworth: Callum Chalmers (Liberal Democrats); Nicola Cook (Independent); Kathryn Flavell (Labour); Arabella Holland (Conservative).

Sandbach Ettiley Heath & Wheelock: Laura Crane (Labour): Martin Deakin (Conservative); Michelle Hough (Liberal Democrats); Patricia Lloyd (Green Party).

Sandbach Heath & East: Sam Corcoran (Labour); Peter Kent (Green Party); Dave Poole (Independent); Tim Wheatcroft (Conservative).

Sandbach Town: John Arnold (Labour); Artie Chalmers (Liberal Democrats); Mike Muldoon (Conservative); Hope Voyce (Green Party).

Shavington: Linda Buchanan (Labour); David Marren (Independent); Claire Wain    (Conservative).

Sutton: Laura Jones (Green Party); Steve Kay (Labour); Chris O'Leary (Conservative); Trevor Priestman (Liberal Democrats).

Willaston & Rope: Richard Bennett (Green Party); Julie Fousert (Reform UK); Allen Gage (Conservative); Ben Wye (Labour).

Wilmslow Dean Row: Lata Anderson (Residents of Wilmslow); Jack Illingworth (Conservative); Olivia Walker (Liberal Democrats).

Wilmslow East: John Duckworth (Conservative); David Jefferay (Residents of Wilmslow); Sarah Murphy (Liberal Democrats).

Wilmslow Lacey Green: Chris Hilliard (Residents of Wilmslow); Robin James (Liberal Democrats); Don Stockton (Conservative).

Wilmslow West & Chorley: Michelle Anderson (Green Party); Barry Estill (Conservative); Mark Goldsmith (Residents of Wilmslow); Michael Gorman (Residents of Wilmslow); Hannan Sarwar (Conservative); Gareth Wilson (Liberal Democrats).

Wistaston: Alan Coiley (Labour); Kim Jamson (Labour); Gary Poole (Conservative); Margaret Simon (Conservative); Claire Wilkinson (Green Party).

Wrenbury: Dave Manning (Green Party); James Pearson (Conservative); Sacha Sandbach (Liberal Democrats).

Wybunbury: Janet Clowes (Conservative); Stephen Ford (Liberal Democrats); Dennis Straine-Francis (Labour).