VOTERS will be deciding on who they want to spend the council s �1bn budget when they go to the polls for the local elections next week. The candidates standing for Tower Hamlets will be fighting it out for one of three seats in the borough s 17 wards o

VOTERS will be deciding on who they want to spend the council's �1bn budget when they go to the polls for the local elections next week.

The candidates standing for Tower Hamlets will be fighting it out for one of three seats in the borough's 17 wards on May 6.

Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have each put forward 51 candidates, Respect has put forward 50 while the Green party will have 35 fighting for seats.

There are six Independent candidates standing and the British National Party has put forward four candidates.

The list sees the return of former councillor David Edgar who will be standing for Labour in Limehouse.

And it features some new faces, including Crissy Townsend, who set up the Teviot Action Group on Poplar's Teviot estate and will be running for Labour in Blackwall and Cubitt Town.

She will be fighting against new Tory Gloria Thienel who is chairwoman of East End Homes Leaseholders Association as well current councillor and Conservative MP candidate for Poplar and Limehouse Tim Archer.

Labour's stranglehold on the Bow West ward could be threatened with its recently defected councillor Anwara Ali representing the Tories.

It is also the only ward where only two Respect candidates are standing with George Galloway's party saying it wanted to give former Green Terry McGrenera who is standing as Independent and "shares a lot of Respect's policies" the chance to win.

Mr McGrenera will be taking on the Green party's Poplar and Limehouse MP candidate Chris Smith.

While in Bow East, Andrew Coles who ran the Tower Hamlets Leaseholders Association for 15 years, Imran Haque and Gareth Thomas are running as Independents and taking a stand for tenants, leaseholders and freeholders.

They will be running against Labour's housing councillor Marc Francis.

Respect political adviser Rob Hoveman will be standing in Weavers ward and founder of the Young Adults' Group at The Glasshouse community centre in Bethnal Green, Ann Edmead will be fighting as an Independent candidate for the Bethnal Green North ward.

The BNP's candidates are Mike Underwood who is standing in Bow East, James Searle in East India & Lansbury, Russell Pick in Mile End & Globe Town and Dave Anderson is standing for Millwall.