EX-LABOUR councillors turned independents are to be challenged for their seats in Oldham by their former party colleagues.

A third of the whole council is up for election on Thursday, May 2, with 102 candidates standing across the borough.

One seat in each of the 20 wards is being contested.

Of the seats up for election, 14 are currently held by Labour, three by Liberal Democrat, one Conservative and two by independents.

In Coldhurst and Medlock Vale, Labour are putting forward new candidates to challenge their former members.

Cllrs Montaz Ali Azad and Kaiser Rehman have both been suspended by the Labour party and sit in the chamber as independents.

But they are both attempting to retain their seats as independents.

This year UKIP are putting forward 14 candidates – in a shift from last year when they did not contest a single seat.

In the previous local elections in 2018, Oldham members had been encouraged to support Rochdale candidates, who they thought were in more "achievable" seats.

The Green Party are standing in 13 seats, while the Lib Dems, Labour and Conservatives are contesting every seat.

Grassroots party Saddleworth First! are fielding candidates in the three Saddleworth wards.

And 12 independent candidates are seeking to challenge the major parties across the borough.

Long-serving Liberal Democrat councillor Derek Heffernan is not standing again in Saddleworth North.

He was first elected to the council in May 1995, and served as Mayor in 2016.

In a tearful speech at his last full council meeting, Cllr Heffernan said he had previously confirmed these four years in office would be his last.

He said it was not related to dementia, adding his "marbles are all in place and well polished".

“It is time to pass the torch to somebody else,” he said. “But believe me friends, it is a wrench.”

Another former Mayor Shadab Qumer is also not seeking re-election in St Mary’s ward.

He has served on the council for 12 years but said he is stepping down to spend more ‘quality time’ with his four children – something he feels he has been missing out on.

And Liberal Democrat councillor Julia Turner, who was elected in 2015, is not standing again in Crompton ward.

Full list of candidates standing in Oldham elections:

Alexandra: Martin Dinoff, Liberal Democrats; Jenny Harrison, Labour (Incumbent); Jawaad Hussain, Conservative; Muhammad Imran Sarwar, Independent; Carl Douglas Sinderby, UKIP.

Chadderton Central : Barbara Ann Beeley, Liberal Democrats; Marian Goodwin, UKIP; Mohammed Shah Jahan, Conservative; Jess Mahoney, Green; Eddie Moores, Labour (Incumbent).

Chadderton North: Mohon Ali, Labour (Incumbent); Mohammad Riaj Alom, Conservative; John Hall, Liberal Democrats; Chris Parr, Green; Tracy Samantha Woodward, Independent.

Chadderton South: Robert Barnes, Conservative; Jack Dickenson, UKIP; Tabirul Islam, Liberal Democrats; Graham Shuttleworth, Labour (Incumbent); Melodey Walker, Green.

Coldhurst: Montaz Ali Azad, Independent (Incumbent); Jean Betteridge, Green; Md Shahid Miah, Conservative; Ruji Sapna Surjan, Labour; Kutub Uddin, Liberal Democrats.

Crompton: Phelyp Bennett, Conservative; Louie Hamblett, Liberal Democrats; Colin Francis Jones, UKIP; Alex Jones-Casey, Labour.

Failsworth East: Alan Belmore, Liberal Democrats; Antony Cahill, Conservative; Brian Hobin, Independent; Paul Jean Jacques, Labour (Incumbent).

Failsworth West: Warren William Bates, Independent; Richard Neville Darlington, Liberal Democrats; Annette Louise Evans, UKIP; Elaine Garry, Labour (Incumbent);

Andy Hunter-Rossall, Green; Michele Stockton, Conservative.

Hollinwood: Stephen Barrow, Liberal Democrats; Sajjad Hussain, Conservative; David William Maybury, Green: Steve Williams, Labour (Incumbent); Matthew James Woods, UKIP.

Medlock Vale: Neil Allsopp, Conservative; Mohammed Alyas, Labour; Daniel Clayton, Green; Marcus Esbach, UKIP; Philip Edward Howarth, Independent; Rachel Pendlebury, Liberal Democrats;

Kaiser Rehman, Independent (Incumbent).

Royton North: Allan Fish, Conservative; Paul Francis Goldring, UKIP; Russell Gosling, Liberal Democrats; Clint Phythian, Labour (Incumbent); Lina Shaw, Green.

Royton South: Steven Bashforth, Labour (Incumbent); Ken Berry, Liberal Democrats; Ian James Bond, Conservative; Anthony Joseph Prince, UKIP; Jim Stidworthy, Green.

Saddleworth North: John Douglas Eccles, Liberal Democrats; Chris Green, UKIP; George Hulme, Labour; Luke Lancaster, Conservative; Carl Roberts, Saddleworth First!;

Phil Sewell, Independent.

Saddleworth South: Helen Louise Bishop, Independent; Alec Crook, Independent; Duncan Clive Goodman, Saddleworth First!; Connor Daniel Green, Labour; Brian Lord, Liberal Democrats;

Harry Moore, UKIP; Graham Sheldon, Conservative (Incumbent).

Saddleworth West & Lees: Sam Al-Hamdani, Liberal Democrats; Adrian Clive Alexander, Labour (Incumbent); “Boots” Errock, Saddleworth First!; Tom Lord, Conservative; Paul Taylor, UKIP.

Shaw: Chris Gloster, Liberal Democrats (Incumbent); Catherine Hunter-Rossall, Green; Ken Rustidge, Labour and Co-operative; Lisa Smirk, Conservative; Rob Vance, UKIP.

St James: Atif Ali, Conservative; Colin Herbert Burrows, UKIP; Angela Carol Cosgrove, Labour (Incumbent) Amoy Lindo-Crooks, Independent; Tony Martin, Liberal Democrats; Roger Pakeman, Green.

St. Mary's: Sean Raymond Curley, Conservative; Nyla Ibrahim, Labour; Pat Lord, Liberal Democrats; Miranda Meadowcroft, Green.

Waterhead: Linda Dawson, Liberal Democrats; Peter Dean, Labour (Incumbent); Max Joseph Woodvine, Conservative.

Werneth: Asghar Ali, Independent; Heath Fletcher, Conservative; Javid Iqbal, Labour (Incumbent); Keith Pendlebury, Liberal Democrats; Irfat Ahmed Shajahan, Green.