May 2016 elections: Who's standing to be your local councillor in Sandwell?

Mr Cooper, who was a councillor for 25 years and led the council since 2009, was considered one of the party's most influential leaders in local government.

His funeral is due to be held on Thursday and will be followed by a civic memorial event at West Bromwich Town Hall the next day.

It is not yet known when a decision on a new council leader will be made. In the meantime Councillor Steve Eling is serving as acting leader.

In next month's elections Mr Cooper's Soho and Victoria seat will be fought out between Labour's Farut Shaeen, the Green Party's Robert Buckman and Derran Stokes for the Conservatives.

Sandwell Council remains one of the most politically unbalanced authorities in the UK.

Last year Labour saw off the final Tory when Elizabeth Giles won Charlemont with Grove Vale ward from Anne Hughes.

It meant that Labour took all 24 seats that were up for grabs, leaving the party with a total of 69 seats.

UKIP's Philip Garrett held his Princes End seat, making him the only opposition to the ruling group.

The other sitting councillor is Independent Labour's Mahboob Hussain, who took 'administrative suspension' from Labour during a police investigation into land deals involving the council.

A stark example of the ruling party's dominance came during this year's budget meeting, when a 3.99 per cent increase in council tax was waved through without a single vote in opposition.

In 2015 Labour won 53.3 per cent of the vote across the borough, with UKIP claiming 22.4 per cent and the Tories 20.5 per cent. The turnout was 56.63 per cent.

The party has now held power in the borough for all but one of the last 43 years - the Conservatives had a majority between 1978 and 1979.

Ian Jones will contest the Tipton Green seat he has held for 18 years next month after he was granted a High Court injunction lifting his suspension from the Labour Party.

The suspension had been imposed during the aforementioned police investigation into land sales. West Midlands Police ended the probe last month without bringing any charges.

An independent report called by Sandwell Council is still yet to be released.

Former mayor Derek Rowley is standing down from his Great Bridge seat, which will be contested by Labour's former Bristnall councillor Ann Jarvis, UKIP's Ray Crawford and Steve Simcox of the Conservatives.

Meanwhile Tony Ward will contest Charlemont with Grove Vale for the Tories. He rejoined the Conservatives in 2014 having previously quit the party to become an independent candidate.

Labour's John Tipper is standing down in the Cradley Heath and Old Hill ward. The seat will be contested by Caroline White for Labour, Tilton Storer (Conservative), Robert Johns (Lib Dem) and Ben Groom (Green Party).

The Bristnall ward will see UKIP's former parliamentary candidate Pete Durnell take on Labour's Elaine Giles, Richard Toye (Conservative) and Mark Redding (Green Party).

Mr Durnell is also standing as a candidate for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner elections on the same day.

He said: "UKIP now provide the only opposition to Labour on Sandwell council, but with just one councillor.

"Effectively Labour do what they like, how they like. Our single UKIP councillor does his best, but being outnumbered 71 to one, realistically can never hope to challenge Labour's often dubious, or largely self interested decision making."

But Labour's Councillor Steve Eling rubbished the claims. He said: "The fact of the matter is that the majority of people in Sandwell see Labour as their choice.

"If some can't live with democratic decisions then that is their problem. Despite horrendous cuts from the government we have continued to put out a positive message and defended the people of Sandwell."

UKIP has candidates up for 11 seats, while the Greens have 10 and the Lib Dems will contest two.

*denotes incumbent party

Abbey

ALLEN, Michael (Green); JARON, Ann (Lab)*; KEMP, Richard (Cons)

Blackheath

CARMICHAEL, Kerrie (Lab)*; CHING, Shirley (Cons)

Bristnall

DURNELL, Pete (UKIP); GILES, Elaine (Lab)*; REDDING, Mark (Green); TOYE, Richard (Cons)

Charlemont and Grove Vale

MACEFIELD, John (Green); NOCK, Graham (UKIP); PREECE, Liam (Lab)*; WARD, Tony (Cons)

Cradley Heath and Old Hill

GROOM, Ben (Green);JOHNS, Robert (Lib Dem); STORER, Tilton (Cons); WHITE, Caroline (Lab)*

Friar Park

LEWIS, Geoff (Lab)*; SINGH, Bal (UKIP); WHITE, Robert (Cons)

Great Barr and Yew Tree

FISHER, David (UKIP); NANDRA, Suki (Cons); WORSEY, Chris (Lab)*

Great Bridge

CRAWFORD, Ray (UKIP); JARVIS, Ann (Lab)*; SIMCOX, Steve (Cons)

Greets Green and Lyng

EDWARDS, John (Lab)*; VICKERS, Sandra (Cons)

Hateley Heath

NOCK, Jacqueline (UKIP); SANDARS, Paul (Lab)*; VICKERS, John (Cons)

Langley

CROCKETT, Brian (Cons); DAVIES, Sharon (Lab)*

Newton

UNDERHILL, Joyce (Lab)*; VAUGHAN, Keith (Cons)

Old Warley

BANKS, Peter (UKIP); CRUMPTON, Sue (Lab)*; MANLEY-GREEN, Bryan (Lib Dem); MCHARD, John (Cons); USSI, Aldo (Green)

Oldbury

DARBY, Isa (Green); DOWNING, Sue (Lab)*; WILLIAMS, Richard (Cons)

Princes End

CHAPMAN, Scott (Cons); CHERRINGTON, Bill (Lab)*; KEELING, Ric (UKIP)

Rowley

COLLEDGE, Zac (Cons); EAVES, Susan (Lab)*; KASNICKAS, Monika (UKIP)

Smethwick

BUCKMAN, Stephanie (Green); CLARK, Colin (Cons); HORTON, Linda (Lab)*

Soho and Victoria

BUCKMAN, Robert (Green); SHAEEN, Farut (Lab)*; STOKES, Derran (Cons)

St Paul's

BROWN, Elizabeth (Cons); GILL, Preet Kaur (Lab)*

Tipton Green

BUTLER, Marie (UKIP); GRIFFITHS, Donald (Cons); JONES, Ian (Lab)*

Tividale

BEBBINGTON, Ben (Green); CROMPTON, Maria (Lab)*; STOCKALL, John (Cons)

Wednesbury North

HUGHES, Peter (Lab)*; LONGVILLE, Matthew (Cons)

Wednesbury South

HUGHES, Pam (Lab)*; MIDDLETON, Michael (Cons); UMAR-AZEEMI, Mohammed (UKIP)

West Bromwich Central

HICKEY, Laura (Lab)*; HUGHES, Anne (Cons); PRICE, Neil (Green)