Candidates are set to go to the hustings in a bitter battle to unlock Bradford's hung Council and gain an overall majority.

The two years of deadlock following the rout of Labour after a decade of heavy control carried on with a Tory leadership propped up by an ever-growing Liberal Democrat group.

And this year's elections are likely to be closely fought as Labour aims to gain ten seats while the Tories need five to win overall control of Britain's fourth-biggest local authority.

It will be an election with strict security measures in view of violence in some previous years and the Council and police are in talks over procedures for polling stations and counts.

Labour goes into the election without some of its stalwarts and best known members. But there are two former high-profile councillors in its new line-up.

The new candidates include the former ousted education committee chairman Susanne Rooney and Jim O'Neill who was previously executive member for housing during Labour control.

Off the scene are former Lord Mayors Gordon Mitchell and Danny Mangham, who were not selected by the regional Labour party to be potential candidates despite their previous service.

Syd Collard, 84, is retiring, and Labour's spokesman for transport Latif Darr was de-selected in his Little Horton ward.

Mohammad Yaqoob has stepped down as a Labour candidate weeks after being convicted of drink-driving.

The Tory and Liberal Demo-crat candidates include Coun-cil leader Councillor Marg-aret Eaton and leader of the Liberal Democrat group Cou-ncillor Jeanette Sunderland.

Tory executive member for the environment Anne Hawkesworth and the party's health and housing chief Kris Hopkins are seeking re-election.

Veteran Tory councillor and former Lord Mayor Stanley King is fighting to retain his seat at Heaton, where he is Lord of the Manor.

The Green party is fighting to win 12 seats, hoping for more representatives to join its sole existing councillor David Ford.

And there is an all-out bid by the growing Liberal Democrat group to win more seats across the district as it contests all 30 wards.

Success would bring yet more power for the group in the middle which now holds all the cards.

But it would dash any hopes for a Council with a single party in overall control.

There are four independent candidates, including Melanie Milnes at Thornton. The field also includes three Socialist Alliance and a British National Party candidate.

The election will see the Liberal Democrats defending three seats, the Tories ten, and Labour 17.

The present composition of the hung council is Labour 39, Tories 37, Liberal Democrats 11 and three independents.

And the result of the election on Thursday, May 2, is all down to the 336,000 people in the district who are eligible to vote this year.