TWO former Labour county councillors are going head-to-head in a battle to stop the Conservatives holding on to their county council seat in east Suffolk.

Joan Girling, a former Labour executive member, is standing as an independent in the by-election caused by the resignation of Tory Ron Ward in the Aldeburgh and Leiston seat.

The official candidate is former Suffolk Coastal leader Terry Hodgson, who spent two years as a county councillor in the early 1990s.

However Conservative Richard Smith will be hoping to retain the seat that has been held by Mr Ward since he defeated Mr Hodgson back in 1993.

Voting will be held on general election day, May 6.

When the seat was contested last May, Labour came fourth behind the Liberal Democrats and the Greens – neither of whom have put up a candidate this time around.