THE race is on.

Four Ryedale candidates are expected to contest the seat on June 7. Would-be MPs have until May 22 to submit their nominations and pay their deposit.

Overshadowed and on the day of the general election, seven county councillors will be elected from an expected 21 candidates for seats at North Yorkshire County Council.

The people who have so far said they plan to stand in the general election are, in alphabetical order:

David Ellis (Labour)

Stephen Feaster (UK Independence Party)

John Greenway (Conservative)

Keith Orrell (Liberal Democrat)

John Greenway has represented Ryedale since the general election of 1987 when he won the seat from Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Shields. The year before, Mrs Shields had won a celebrated byelection, defeating Conservative Neil Balfour. In a shock result, Mr Balfour dropped 20,000 votes from the previous MP he hoped to succeed: Conservative John Spence.

Over the years, John Greenway's 9,700 majority has been whittled away, partly through boundary changes, until it stands now at just over 5,000, most closely chased in what promises to be a hard fight by Liberal Democrat Keith Orrell. David Ellis (Labour) sees his party in third place, with Stephen Feaster (UK Independence Party) bringing up the rear.

The candidates in alphabetical order are:

David Ellis, Labour, is a York teacher who ran MP Hugh Bayley's election campaign in York in 1997 and is an NUT media spokesman. He says if elected he would work to bring more investment to rural areas and help rural communities survive. Mr Ellis says he became committed to his party through a desire to create a fairer society and equal opportunity.

Stephen Feaster, UK Independence Party, is Cropton born and bred. He runs a B & B and holiday cottage business there with his wife, Ruth. Well-known to readers of the Gazette & Herald as a dedicated letter writer, Mr Feaster believes preserving the pound is one of Britain's last areas of true national independence. He also campaigns against any trend towards stealth taxes.

John Greenway has been Ryedale's MP for the Conservatives for the past 14 years. Until Parliament is dissolved on Monday, he is the shadow minister for tourism and sport. During the election, he will campaign on taxation and creeping bureaucracy which he says stops teachers, police and doctors doing their jobs. He will also make a stand for the countryside, claiming chronic decline and neglect.

Keith Orrell, Liberal Democrat, was involved with special needs education for 20 years and is now a Ryedale district councillor. He believes Ryedale's infrastructure has been neglected and recent flooding highlighted problems. He says if Ryedale is to thrive economically in the future there must be major improvements to the road and rail network. As a school governor, he says he knows the issues that affect schools.

Updated: 10:27 Thursday, May 10, 2001