British National Party activists and members in all parts of Britain are generally on good terms with local members and activists of the UKIP – having so much politically in common. It therefore strikes us as odd, if not downright bizarre, when we learn from these good (but somewhat misguided) people that they are apparently “not allowed to know” either how many candidates their party is standing in May’s local authority elections or where they are standing!

To us, in the BNP, the situation appears incredible and we can’t but help wonder why the average patriotic UKIP activist or member puts up with such unwarranted secrecy! As much as we can understand why that EU-funded party’s MEPs are reluctant (like other parties MEPs) to disclose for what they are claiming such huge sums of taxpayers money from the EU trough for – we cannot understand the party's apparent secrecy over election candidate numbers!

Indeed both BNP activists and officials have been approached by slightly embarrassed UKIP members asking if we can shed any light on the subject – as the best answer they can get from their top officials is an unhelpful “over 1,000”!

Of course this is the “magic figure” (in terms of borough/district level candidates) that UKIP’s leadership appears to want the world to unquestioningly accept – in the mistaken belief, it has been suggested, that such a total would “entitle” them to a party political broadcast for England!

In addition, it should also be noted that the recent press-release put out by Tory Party Central Office – that mischievously claimed that UKIP had 805 candidates standing at borough/district level was, as you might well expect of the Tories, a piece of misinformation.

So, for the benefit of our many friends and future members in UKIP, we can disclose that the party has 958 candidates standing at borough/district level – distributed across 194 of the 312 English local authorities conducting elections.

As an aside it should be noted, in all fairness, that UKIP’s leadership have little reason to pat themselves on the back. After all, if the British National Party – having only around half the membership and about one tenth of the income of UKIP - can put up around 750 candidates at this level, then one has to wonder how UKIP has only managed two hundred more?

So without further ado - UKIP candidates and their locations:

West Midlands Region: 104.

Birmingham (9), Lichfield (1), Malvern Hills (6), Newcastle-under-Lyme (20), Solihull (3), South Staffs (2), Stafford (1), Staffordshire Moorlands (3), Stoke (8), Stratford-on-Avon (5), Telford (4), Walsall (9), Worcester (1), Wychavon (1), Bromsgrove (3), Cannock Chase (2), Dudley (25), East Staffs (1).

East Midlands Region: 83.

Nottingham (7), Gedling (5), Harborough (1), Hinckley (2), Leicester (10), Lincoln (15), North Kesteven (14), NW Leics (1), Ruscliffe (1), Rutland (4), South Derbyshire (3), South Holland (1), South Kesteven (1), Boston (8), West Lindsey (5), Broxtowe (1), Charnwood (2), Ashfield (1), East Northants (1).

South West Region: 243.

Poole (13), Gloucester (6), Kennet (18), Kerrier (14), Mendip (3), Mid Devon (8), North Dorset (6), North Somerset (3), North Wilts (16), Penwith (2), Plymouth (8), Purbeck (4), Salisbury (11), Sedgemoor (4), South Gloucs. (3), South Hams (7), South Somerset (2), Bournemouth (18), Stroud (3), Swindon (7), Taunton Deane (2), Teignbridge (1), Torbay (19), Torridge (5), West Devon (8), Wes Dorset (1), Weymouth (2), Bristol (1), Caradon (7), Carrick (4), Christchurch (3), Cotswolds (2), East Devon (10), East Dorset (13), Exeter (5), West Wilts (4).

Eastern England Region: 98

Forest Heath (8), Great Yarmouth (3), Huntingdonshire (1), Ipswich (1), Kings Lynn (3), Luton (6), Maldon (1), Bedford (1), Mid Suffolk (3), North Hertfordshire (1), North Norfolk (5), Norwich City (3), Peterborough (1), South Bedfordshire (5), South Cambridgeshire (1), South Norfolk (2), Southend (3), St. Edmundsbury (3), Suffolk Coastal (1), Tendring (2), Three Rivers (1), Thurrock (3), Uttlesford (2), Braintree (2), Waveney (8), Breckland (2), Brentwood (2), Broadland (2), Cambridge (3), Castle Point (1), Chelmsford (2), Babergh (11), East Herts (1), Epping Forest (1), Basildon (3).

North West England Region: 69.

Oldham (3), Lancaster (4), Liverpool (2), Macclesfield (1), Manchester (6), Pendle (2), Blackpool (2), Salford (3), Sefton (9), Stockport (6), Tameside (6), West Lancs. (1), Wigan (1), Wirral (5), Wyre (4), Chester (6), Chorley (2), Congleton (2), Crewe (2), Ellesmere Port (1), Trafford (1).

Yorkshire & Humberside Region: 43.

Rotherham (9), Hambleton (1), Harrogate (2), Hull (2), Leeds (8), Sheffield (8), Bradford (6), Wakefield (1), Doncaster (5), East Riding (1).

North East England Region: 25.

Gateshead (1), Hartlepool (8), North Tyneside (1), Alnwick (1), Sedgefield (1), South Tyneside (1), Stockton (9), Sunderland (1), Chester-le-Street (1), Darlington (1).

South East England Region: 293

Bracknell (8), Havant (4), Horsham (7), Lewes (4), Medway (16), Mid Sussex (2), Milton Keynes (17), Mole Valley (5), Reading (3), Reigate (12), Runnymede (9), Sevenoaks (1), Shepway (5), South Bucks (6), Southampton (5), Spelthorne (1), Surrey Heath (3), Tandridge (13), Test Valley (6), Thanet (7), Tonbridge (2), Tunbridge Wells (10), Vale of the White Horse (3), Waverley (2), Wealden (1), West Berkshire (2), West Oxfordshire (2), Winchester (6), Windsor & Maidenhead (3), Woking (12), Wokingham (18), Worthing (7), Wycombe (7), Brighton & Hove (1), Arun (11), Canterbury (5), Cherwell (3), Chichester (8), Chiltern (2), Aylesbury (25), Dartford (6), Dover (3), Eastbourne (5), Eastleigh (14), Epson & Ewell (1).