Details of hundreds of council election candidates are being published today as the battle for control of 13 authorities gets underway in one of the biggest ballots in decades.

More than 550 seats are up for grabs across 12 district and borough councils in Kent, alongside the Medway unitary authority.

The election day - dubbed ‘Super Thursday’ is on May 4 with most counts taking place on Friday.

An overnight count will be held for Medway, meaning it could be among one of the largest authorities to secure an early result. Currently run by a Conservative administration, Medway is being eyed as an indicator of the fortunes of the main parties, particularly focusing on Labour’s performance in a key target area.

The elections will also be seen as an early test of public opinion on the Conservative government, and whether the gap in opinion polls, giving Labour a substantial lead, is mirrored.

In the last council election in 2019, the Conservatives won 325 of council wards being contested with Labour winning 120.

The elections will also be a test for the Green party, which has made some significant breakthroughs in some areas and will be looking to build on the 23 councillors it elected last time out.

For the Liberal Democrats, the poll represents an opportunity to re-establish itself as an electoral force beyond its Tunbridge Wells stronghold and elect more councillors after a tricky period.

One key area of interest will be whether there is evidence that independent candidates - not aligned to any party - remain popular with voters. While still modest in numbers, their success in some council areas has provided them with a hand in running one council under a rainbow coalition, Swale.

The election will be notable for being the first in the UK which requires voters to bring some kind of photo ID to the polling station.

The introduction of ID has been justified by the government on the grounds that it will constrain the opportunity for ineligible votes to be cast.

Read about how our reporter found getting a Voter Authority Certificate.

Lists of candidates will be linked to here when they appear online:

Ashford Borough Council

Canterbury City Council

Dartford Borough Council

Dover District Council

Folkestone and Hythe District Council

Gravesham Borough Council

Maidstone Borough Council

Medway Council

Thanet District Council

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Sevenoaks District Council

Swale Borough Council