The party has not publicly announced its candidates despite holding preselections more than four weeks ago.

‘‘At this stage we’re not making any announcements,’’ Newcastle Greens convener Claire Charles said yesterday.

The Newcastle Herald has confirmed through a source that Mr Sutton, a former councillor, will run for lord mayor and will also head the Greens ticket in Ward 4.

Ms Mozeley is understood to be the party’s lead candidate in Ward 3.

Councillor Michael Osborne will recontest Ward 1, which includes areas such as Cooks Hill and Islington where Greens traditionally receive strong support from voters.

Mr Sutton said the party was ‘‘in a process at the moment [and] we’re going to make an announcement at some time in the future’’.

‘‘I’m neither confirming or denying that [I’m a candidate],’’ he said.

Ms Mozeley would also not confirm her candidacy, and said the party would decide when candidates were announced.

The ALP is expected to hold preselections for its Newcastle City Council ticket in April.

Labor councillor Nuatali Nelmes, who is considering nominating for lord mayor, said she did not understand why the Greens would not release information about their candidates.

‘‘I don’t know why it’s a secret,’’ she said.

Mr Sutton has been prominent in the campaign to save the Laman Street fig trees and is the public officer for Save Our Figs.

Ms Mozeley has the public face for much of the fig campaign and is one of the group’s public spokeswomen.

Work to remove the canopies of the Laman Street fig trees is expected to be complete by tomorrow afternoon.