ONLY one of the six wards that make up Malvern Town Council will be hosting an election on May 7.

In three of the other wards, Dyson, Link and Priory, the number of nominations matched the number of seats available, so that all the candidates were automatically elected.

And in the Chase ward, only one candidate has come forward to fill the ward's four seats, meaning that one of the first tasks of the new council will be to co-opt three new members.

In Pickersleigh, five candidates will be contesting four seats in the election.

The candidates are: Caroline Bovey, David Houghton-Smith (independent), Helen l'Anson, Patrick Mewton (independent, listening to the people), and Jerry Thomas.

Mrs l'Anson, Mr Mewton and Mr Thomas represented the ward on the old council and Ms Bovey was also on the council, but representing the Chase ward.

Dyson Perrins ward will be represented by Matt Campbell (independent), Michael Charles and Julian Roskams (Green). Mr Campbell is a new face, while Mr Charles and Mr Roskams sat for the ward before.

In the Link, Ian Hopwood (independent), Clive Smith (independent), Paul Tuthill (long established resident well known councillor) all return, and will be joined by another independent, David Watkins.

North Malvern's Brian Regimbeau (independent) returns, and is joined by another independent, Jill Campbell.

And in Priory, the entire slate of standing councillors, Hannah Campbell (Conservative), Cynthia Palmer and Peter Smith, returns unopposed.

The Chase ward will be represented by Julian l'Anson, who sat on the previous council.

Retiring from the council at this election are Martin Lawrence, Alex McLellan, Will Richards, Adrian Ward and Micheline Ward.

Malvern Town Council was created in 1996 to take responsibility for the previously-unparished area of the town.

Among the assets it controls are Great Malvern Cemetery, Rose Bank Gardens in the town centre and Victoria Park in the Link, as well as sports pitches at Duke's Meadow and Lower Howsell Road.

It is also in charge of a number of bus shelters, clocks, including the one at the Tank Quarry clock tower, bins, and a number of the town's famous gas lamps.

The council organises the popular Christmas lights switch-on event, and the Bands in the Park series of concerts over the summer.

The council also hit the headlines in recent times over the controversy surrounding its former town clerk Richard Chapman and the employment tribunal that ruled he was unfairly dismissed. Since then, the council has been revamping its governance procedures.

It has also been involved in the cable car controversy, initially forming a working party to look at the idea, but voting at its most recent meeting to have no further truck with the idea.