FORMER Bradford MP David Ward has thrown his hat into the ring for this year's elections for Bradford Council, hoping to get back into local politics.

The Liberal Democrat was MP for Bradford East from 2010 until 2015, when he was defeated by Labour's Imran Hussain by more than 7,000 votes amid a disastrous election night for his party.

Before becoming MP, Mr Ward had been a councillor in Bradford for more than 20 years.

He is one of five people competing to be elected as the new councillor for Bolton and Undercliffe.

He said: "There is always another campaign to get involved in and I would like to think that I have a contribution to make because of my experience in the past and in particular the one thing more than any other that drew me back into politics is the state of education in Bradford.

"As a former portfolio holder, as a former member of the Education Select Committee and a governor for many, many years, I think I have a degree of knowledge and experience."

Thirty seats on Bradford Council - one-third of the total - are up for grabs in the elections on May 5.

Currently, Labour holds a narrow majority on the council, with the Conservatives forming the official opposition.

This year, voting also coincides with the election of a Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire.

Today, the council published the full list of candidates standing in the local elections.

It revealed none of the four-strong Bradford Independent Group - councillors who left the Respect Party en-masse in 2013 - are seeking re-election.

One of the group, Councillor Ishtiaq Ahmed (Manningham), said he had now joined the Labour party.

He said he had decided not to run for the council again because of other commitments, but did not rule out standing for Labour in the future.

He said: "The reason why I left Labour a few years back was because of those shenanigans with the selections and everything else.

"I think it has made some progress now, in terms of addressing some of the issues it has had."

In recent years, Labour in Bradford West has been dogged by claims it had relied too heavily on Pakistani 'biraderi' or clan-based politics. Candidate selection has since been taken out of local party members' hands.

Fellow Bradford Independent Group councillor Faisal Khan (Bradford Moor) said he had decided not to run for the council again because he was heavily involved in other community work.

Cllr Khan praised Labour's new leader Jeremy Corbyn, but said he was not considering a move to Labour "in the short-term".

Councillor Ruqayyah Collector (Bradford Independent Group, City) said she had decided not to run again for family reasons but would remain active in community work.

The Bradford Independent Group leader, Cllr Alyas Karmani (Little Horton) could not be contacted yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Respect Party has not fielded any local candidates in Bradford this year.

Two sitting Liberal Democrat councillors will not be seeking re-election: Cllr Ann Wallace (Eccleshill) and Cllr Tracey Leeming (Bolton and Undercliffe).

Cllr Wallace said she would still remain a community activist, while Cllr Leeming could not be reached for comment.

Long-standing Conservative councillor and member of the House of Lords, Baroness Eaton, has already announced she is stepping down from the council.

The full list of candidates:

Baildon
Peter Joseph Ashton (Lab)

John Malcolm Charles Cole (Lib Dem)

Debbie Davies (Con)

Carl Andrew Dunk (Green)

Dale Andrew Normington (Ukip).
 

Bingley
Matthew Clive Edwards (Green)

Sara Genine Hardman (Ukip)

John Allan Pennington (Con)

Peter Shannon Russell (Lib Dem)

Joe Wheatley (Lab)


Bingley Rural
Helen Baranowski (Lib Dem)

Derrick John Hodgson (Ukip)

Brian Newham (Green)

Barney James Simkins O'Connor (Lab)

Naveed Riaz (Con)


Bolton and Undercliffe
Jonathan Daniel Stewart Barras (Ukip)

Frank Dignan (Lab)

Alexander Charles Newsham (Green)

David Ward (Lib Dem)

Geoff Whiteley (Con)


Bowling and Barkerend 
Altaf Hussain (Con)

Hassan Uzzaman Khan (Lab)

Bacha Sayed (Lib Dem)

Ian Slattery (TUSC)


Bradford Moor
Riaz Ahmed (Lib Dem)

Naveed Ilyas (Con)

Sabiya Khan (Lab)
 

City
Aneela Bano Ahmed (Lab)

Munir Ahmed (Con)

David Cooper (Green)

Tariq Mahmood (Lib Dem)


Clayton and Fairweather Green
Harry Boota (Con)

Steven Michael Cotterill (Lib Dem)

Norma Russell (Green)

Anjali Michelle Swallow (Lab and Co-operative)

James David Vasey (Ukip)


Craven
Val Carroll (Lab)

Peter William Clarke (Con)

Gerald Stuart Ebden (Lib Dem)

Peter Alan Rawstron Ferguson (Green)

Adrian Paul Naylor (Ind)


Eccleshill
Lara Joy Barras (Ukip)

Helen Love (Green)

Terry Pearson (Con)

Munsaf Dad Saddiq (Lab)

Brendan Robert Stubbs (Lib Dem)


Great Horton
Jamie Illingworth (Ukip)

Abdul Jabar (Lab)

Hashim Mohammad Kohan (Con)

Mary Slingsby (Lib Dem)

Michael John Stanlick (Green)


Heaton
Sajid Akhtar (Con)

Celia Ruth Hickson (Green)

Salman Sayed (Lib Dem)

Mohammad Shabbir (Lab)


Idle and Thackley
Falak Naz Ahmed (Con)

Garry Blackmore (Ukip)

Sarah Elizabeth Dick (Green)

Alun Owen Griffiths (Lib Dem)

Rupert Oliver (Lab)


Ilkley
Paul Marcus Barrett (Con)

Claire Darling (Green)

Anne Gillian Hawkesworth (Ind)

Kay Kirkham (Lib Dem)

Paul John Latham (Ukip)

Henri Forbes Murison (Lab)


Keighley Central
Kaneez Akthar (Lab)

Allah Ditta (Ind)

Mark Philip Hudson (Ukip)

Khadim Hussain (Ind)

Daisy May Knight (Green)

Paul Michael Mann (Lib Dem)

Abdul Nasser Razak (Con)


Keighley East
Martin Beetham (Lib Dem)

Mark Eric Shaw (Ukip)

Malcolm Slater (Lab)

Mark Francis Startin (Con)

Jonni Thurling (Green)


Keighley West
Margaret Isobel Chadwick (Lib Dem)

Ian Ross Dermondy (Ukip)

Adrian Stuart Farley (Lab)

Brian Richard Ford (Green)

Christopher John Herd (Con)


Little Horton
Nurjahan Ali Arobi (Green)

Omar Hussain (Lab)

Talat Sajawal (Ind)

Rizwan Sakhawat (Con)

Ian Vipond (Lib Dem)


Manningham
Ghazanfar Hussain (Con)

Mohammed Ishrat Mirza (Lib Dem)

Sarfraz Nazir (Lab)

John Edward Robinson (Green)


Queensbury
Lynda Jane Cromie (Ind)

Eithne Mary Dodwell (Green)

James Hunt (Lib Dem)

Jason Paul Smith (Ukip)

Michael Walls (Con)

Andy Walsh (Lab)


Royds
Shauna Ann Devonshire (Lib Dem)

Ryan John Gerald Robertshaw (Con)

Andrew Thornton (Lab)

Lois Wood (Ukip)


Shipley
Christine Betty Briggs (Lib Dem)

Martin John Love (Green)

Ben Pickles (Lab)

David John Servant (Con)


Thornton and Allerton
Susan Anne Elliott (Lib Dem)

Helen Elizabeth Marriott (Green)

Michael Evan McCabe (Ukip)

Beverley Winifred Mullaney (Lab)

Charles Malcolm Sykes (Con)


Toller
Amjad Ali (Lib Dem)

Sean Dobiech (Green)

Arshad Hussain (Lab)

Kasir Bashir Hussain (Ind)

Raja Altaf Hussain (Con)


Tong
Michael Johnson (Lab)

Lincoln Stead (Ukip)

Eddie Ward (Con)

Kirsty Louise Yeadon (Lib Dem)


Wharfedale
Caroline Rebecca Davison Firth (Lab)

Bob Jones (Lib Dem)

Dale Smith (Con)

Janet Souyave (Green)


Wibsey
Brian James Boulton (Lib Dem)

David Michael Adam Green (Lab)

Bernie Pringle (Ukip)

Andrew Martin Robinson (Green)

Richard Ian Sheard (Con)

Khurram Shehzad (Ind)


Windhill and Wrose
Hong Vi La (Ukip)

George Alexander Morrall (Con)

Alex Ross-Shaw (Lab)

Gillian Thorne (Lib Dem)

Phillip Thornton (Green)


Worth Valley
Russell Brown (Con)

Kevin Leahi Campbell-Wright (Green)

Mark Bernard Curtis (Lab)

John Stevens Kirby (Ukip)

Alan Sykes (Lib Dem)


Wyke
Kevin Anthony Hall (Lib Dem)

James Graham Lewthwaite (British Democrats)

Darren James Parkinson (Green)

David Alexander Robinson (Ind)

Francesca Louise Stefanyszyn (Con)

Rosie Watson (Lab)

John James Worsley (Ukip)