ELEVEN county parishes have no candidates nominated to either contest seats or take those available at the upcoming local election.

Herefordshire Council may have to re-run elections in those parishes or even co-opt councillors to seats itself.

Two town councils – Leominster and Bromyard – are uncontested and will return the candidates nominated.

In Leominster, that gives the Greens a first time majority as a single group.

Seven Green councillors share the chamber with three Tories, three Independents and a single Liberal Democrat – presided over by a Green mayor – with two seats still to be filled.

The parishes with no candidates nominated are: Bridge Sollars, Brockhampton, Burrington, Callow, Canon Frome, Dormington, Downton, Elton, Llandinabo, Upton Bishop and Welsh Bicknor.

In a bid to bring candidates forward, Herefordshire Council can re-run elections in each of these parishes after the poll on May 7.

It also has to power to co-opt councillors to seats where none are taken.

Parishes can co-opt councillors for themselves,  either as individual entities or as part of a group, provided the meeting to do so is quorate – that is having a minimum number of members present to make a binding decision.

Overall, out of 1,229 town and parish council seats up for election in the county, 243 have no nominated candidates.

The county has 235 parishes brought down by grouping to 133 of which 35 will hold contested elections.

In Ross-on-Wye, voters will be returning a new parish authority that is an amalgamation of the former town council and Ross rural parish council.

Ross currently has had a higher proportion of voters to councillors than either Ledbury or Leominster town councils.

The number of councillors on the new authority is initially set at 18, serving an area with a total population of about 10,600 -  with about 9,600 living in the town - to be divided into three wards – east, north, and west.

A new Herefordshire Council has to decide on devolving services to those town and parish authorities that show themselves capable of running them.