VOTERS will go to the polls today for the local elections in St Helens, with Labour defending their dominant position at the town hall.

Council leader Barrie Grunewald will be aiming to hold on to his Rainhill seat which he won with a majority of 1,403 in 2012.

And in Sutton former political allies John Beirne and former council leader Brian Spencer go head to head.

In Parr another former mayor Andy Bowden is seeking re-election and the former leader of St Helens Conservatives Wally Ashcroft is standing in Windle once again with his wife Nancy in Blackbrook.

Last May Labour, which has 42 of the 48 seats, comfortable held on to the 15 seats it was defending with 57 per cent of the vote.

Labour, the Conservatives and UKIP will be contesting each ward except Rainhill, where Grunewald will go up against Tory Graham Woodehouse.

List of candidates

Billinge & Seneley Green

Collins, Judith Margaret                   Con

McDonnell, Dennis                           Lab

Peers, Peter                                                 UKIP

Blackbrook

Ashcroft, Nancy Jane                      Con

Critchley, Barry Joseph                   UKIP

Cunliffe, Alan                                    Lab

Bold

O’Keefe, David                                 Green

Pennington, Ian Edward                    UKIP

Wiseman, John                           Lab & Co-op

Woodcock, Barbara Evelyne             Con

Earlestown

Preston, Charlie                              Lab

Sherman, Mark Paul                       UKIP

Skeech, Les                                    Con

Eccleston

Barton, Kathleen Sheila                   Con

Graham, Alex                             Lab & Co-op

Sims, Teresa Veronica                    Lib Dem

Wagstaff, Susan Gwyneth               UKIP

Haydock

Burns, Anthony James                      Lab

Hitchen, Mark Joseph                        UKIP

Lee, Melanie Ann Marie                      Con

Moss Bank

Allen, Laurence Christopher            UKIP

Broughton, Steve                             Ind

Connor, Deb                                    Green

Harvey, Margaret Hilda Ethel           Con

Lynch, Paul Michael John           Lab & Co-op

Newton

Cunliffe, John Philip                          Con

Gomez-Aspron, Seve                       Lab

Parkinson, Rachel                            Green

Richardson, Mark Stephen               UKIP

Smith, David James                         Lib Dem

Parr

Bowden, Andy                                     Lab

Brown, Paul                                        Ind

Levy, Susan                                        UKIP

Wilcock, Madeleine Patricia                Con

Rainford

Mitchell, Alex                                     Lab

Parr, Anthony James                        UKIP

Reynolds, Rob                                  Con

Rainhill

Grunewald, Barrie Andrew                Lab

Woodhouse, Graham Samuel          Con

Sutton

Beirne, John                                       Ind

Collins, Mark Stephen                        Con

Fairhurst, John Michael                      UKIP

Jackson, Jimmy                          Lab & Co-op

Spencer, Brian Thomas                     Lib Dem

Thatto Heath

Charlton, Nova Louise                       Lab

Mackarell, Lisa                                 Con

Rundle, Tony                                    UKIP

Town Centre

Casson, Jonathan                             Ind

Clarke, Lynn Susan                           Lab

Leyland, Paul David                           UKIP

Spriggs, Henry John Patrick              Con

West Park

Barton, Richard William                     Con

Ellison, Martin William                        UKIP

Long, Derek Paul                                Lab

Northey, Jessica Ayesha                    Green

Pritchard, Paul Joseph                       Lab

Windle

Ashcroft, Wally                               Con

Neal, Gill                                          Lab

Parr, Maria Alison                            UKIP

Shacklady-Smith, Ann                    Green

Key

Con                        Conservative

Lab                                         Labour Party

UKIP                       UK Independence Party

Green                                   Green Party

Lab & Co-op                       Labour and Co-operative Party

Lib Dem                                Liberal Democrats

Ind                          Independent

Meanwhile, elections for the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner also take place today. 
Jane Kennedy seeks re-election for Labour after being elected as the first Merseyside PCC in 2012 with 56.2 per cent of the vote.

She is up against David Robert Burgess-Joyce of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrat Christopher David Vincenzo Carubia and John Bernard Coyne of the Greens.