ONLY Wear Valley's two new town councils are holding elections on May 3, with all seats on the district's other six parish authorities uncontested.

Nineteen candidates will contest nine seats on Greater Willington Town Council, while 21 are contesting 11 places on Bishop Auckland's new authority.

There will be no contest for seats on Tow Law Town Council or Stanhope, Dene Valley, West Auckland, Witton-le-Wear or Wolsingham parish councils. The candidates are:

BISHOP AUCKLAND TOWN: (11 seats), TOWN WARD (2) Peter Laws (Con); Bill Wade; Lesley Zair (Lib Dem); Samuel Zair (Lib Dem).

COCKTON HILL WARD: (3) Alan Anderson (Lib Dem); John Gasston (Con); Derek Jago (Lib Dem); Barbara Laurie (Lab); Colin Raine (Con); Graham Snaith (Lib Dem); Keith Stokeld (Lab); Jim Tague (Con); Paul Wilson (Ind).

HENKNOWLE WARD: (3) Reginald Davison (Lab); Colin Heads (Lib Dem); John Huntington (Lib Dem); John Lethbridge (Lab); Vince Perkins (Lib Dem).

WOODHOUSE WARD: (3 - No contest): Charlie Kay (Lab); June Lee (Lab); David Wilson (Lab).

DENE VALLEY PARISH COUNCIL:

(No contest): Dorothy Burn (Lib Dem); David Elliott (Lib Dem); Brian Errington (Lib Dem); John Gibson (Lib Dem); Gary Henry (Lib Dem); Philip Henry (Lib Dem); John Moore (Lib Dem); Nigel Rowley (Lib Dem); Robert Thompson (Lib Dem).

GREATER WILLINGTON TOWN: (9) Becky Brunskill (Con); Joe Buckham; Harvey Edwards; Anne Glynn; Arthur Graham (Ind); Ken Henfrey; Christina Jackson; Farrer Johnson; David Kingston; Alistair Layfield; Beverley McMahon; Brian Myers; Margaret Pinkney; Malcolm Rumley; Graham Sewell; Alan Sinclair; Jim Smith; Simon Tasker; Alan Townsend.

STANHOPE PARISH COUNCIL: (no contest) EASTGATE WARD: No candidates. FROSTERLEY WARD: Ronald Tanner (Ind). LANEHEAD WARD: Malcolm Skipp. ROOKHOPE WARD: John Shuttleworth (Ind). ST JOHN'S CHAPEL WARD: Andrew Brown (Ind); Diana Sutcliff. STANHOPE RURAL WARD: No candidates. STANHOPE URBAN WARD: (No contest) Angela Bolam (Ind); Richard Mews (Ind). WEARHEAD WARD: Lesley Blackett (Ind). WESTGATE WARD: Dennis Craig (Ind).

TOW LAW TOWN COUNCIL: (No contest) Terence Batson; Adrian Blacker; Jim Day; Jeff Gale; Peter Graham; Aileen Green; Ron Grogan (Ind); Lynne Rowland; Gregg Stevens; Judith Stevens.

WEST AUCKLAND PARISH COUNCIL: (no contest) WEST AUCKLAND 1 WARD: Jack Bell; Pauline Fenwick (Lib Dem); Colin Mairs (Lib Dem); Lynn Rielly; Hugh Roberts; Andrew Turner.

WEST AUCKLAND 2 WARD: (No contest) Hazel Charlton; Edward Farrer; John Ferguson (Lib Dem); Deborah Ingyon; Keith Tweddle.

WITTON-LE-WEAR PARISH COUNCIL: (No contest) Eugene Brady; Jack Collins; Barbara Gilbert; Brewis Henderson; Laura Henderson; Dave Phelps (Ind); Olive Wilson.

WOLSINGHAM PARISH COUNCIL: (No contest) THORNLEY WARD: (No candidates). WOLSINGHAM WARD: Caroline Beck; Martin Bell; Ken Charlton; Maureen Epsly; Ian Gardiner; Alan Hodgson; Terence Parvin; David Pattison; Elaine Ridley; Ken Rogers.