Basildon, Laindon Park and Fryerns (Lab defence) on Essex
Result of council at last election (2013): Conservatives 42, Labour 9, Liberal Democrats 9, United Kingdom Independence Party 9, Greens 2, Canvey Island Independent 1, Independent 1, Ratepayers 1, Tendring First 1 (Conservative majority of 9)
Result of ward at last election (2013) : Emboldened denotes elected
Labour 2,277, 1,980 (37%)
United Kingdom Independence Party 2,175, 1,684 (36%)
Conservative 958, 784 (16%)
Liberal Democrats 215, 187(4%)
National Front 171 (3%)
Green Party 138, 116 (2%)
Independent 119 (2%)
Trade Unionist and Socialists 73 (1%)
Candidates duly nominated: Gavin Callaghan (Lab), Frank Ferguson (UKIP), Gary Maylin (Con), Philip Rackley (Green)

South ward (Lab defence) on North East Lincolnshire
Result of council at last election (2016): Labour 19, Conservatives 11, United Kingdom Independence Party 5, Liberal Democrats 5, Independents 2 (No Overall Control, Lab short by 3)
Result of ward at last election (2015): Labour 1,681 (43%), United Kingdom Independence Party 1,278 (32%), Conservative 742 (19%), Liberal Democrat 172 (4%), Trade Unionist and Socialist 83 (2%)
Candidates duly nominated: Paul Batson (Con), Loyd Emmerson (Green), Janet Goodwin (Lab), Val O’Flynn (TUSC), Stephen Whittingham (UKIP)

Essex and North East Lincolnshire are prime UKIP areas and in all reality, these two wards should be easy UKIP gains, but since the general election UKIP have been polling four percent less than they did last time (8% as opposed to 12% last time) and have managed to lose half of their seats net.

If neither of these two seats elect a UKIP councillor, just a fortnight before a referendum on UKIP’s reason for existing, the EU, then Nigel Farage might as well admit defeat and go back to being a commodities trader.

Gipsy Hill (Lab defence) on Lambeth
Result of council at last election (2014) : Labour 59, Conservatives 3, Green 1 (Lab majority of 55)
Result of ward at last election : Emboldened denotes elected
Labour 2,242, 2,202, 2,183 (67%)
Conservatives 436, 434, 423 (13%)
Green Party 364, 317, 257 (11%)
Liberal Democrats 164, 161, 133 (5%)
United Kingdom Independence Party 142 (4%)
Candidates duly nominated: Pete Elliott (Green), Rosa Jesse (Lib Dem), Elizabeth Jones (UKIP), Robin Lambert (Ind), Leslie Maruziva (Con), Luke Murphy (Lab), Steven Nally (TUSC)

Surrey Docks (Lib Dem defence) on Southwark
Result of council at last election (2014): Labour 48, Liberal Democrats 13, Conservatives 2 (Lab majority of 33)
Result of ward at last election (2014): Emboldened denotes elected
Liberal Democrats 1,039, 837, 780 (31%)
Labour 712, 697, 655 (21%)
Conservatives 655, 562, 548 (19%)
United Kingdom Independence Party 502, 468 (15%)
Green Party 486, 360 (14%)
Candidates duly nominated: Colin Boyle (Green), Craig Cox (Con), John Hellings (Ind), Will Holmes (Lab), Toby Prescott (UKIP), Dan Whitehead (Lib Dem)

If UKIP have a London problem, then the Lib Dems have a London disaster area. In the London Assembly constituency elections, their vote (which was pretty static at 19% in 2000 and 2004) has nosedived to just 7% in May and it is even worse in some of their stronger parts.

Croydon and Sutton (taking in their strongest council area) their vote fell from 26% in 2000 to 10% in May (only just beating UKIP by five hundred votes) and in their parliamentary heartlands (South West constituency) they have gone from 30% (and within a whisker of winning the seat) to just 14% suggesting that the much talked about Lib Dem fightback is only occurring in areas that they are currently strong in (as opposed to historically strong in), so therefore does this mean that Labour will take another Lib Dem seat in Southwark or will there be Conservative tactical voting to keep Labour from dominating the council even more than it does at the moment?

Harry Hayfield