PARTIES standing in Nunnery with the hope of prising the large and leafy ward out of the control of the Labour Party may have their work cut out in what has proved to be an area of distinct success for the people in red in recent years.

Nunnery ward, home to tidy suburban homes and leafy streets, County Hall, Worcestershire Sixth Form College and three Labour councillors, has proved very successful for a party that has received more than half the vote in the last two elections.

That success is reflected in the three-seat ward currently being filled entirely with Labour councillors and it is the turn of Cllr Simon Cronin to fight again to retain his seat.

Cllr Cronin fought off competition from the Conservatives by 375 votes last time out in 2015 to be re-elected to the Guildhall for the first time.

There are also a few familiar faces trying to break the Labour stronghold on Nunnery with the Green Party’s Barba Mitra standing again having received votes in the mid-100s in the last two elections having peaked in 2015 with 253 votes.

Carl Mason, who has previously stood for the BNP and has campaigned in every Nunnery election since 2011, is hoping to gather votes again this time with British Resistance. He has so far failed to replicate the high of 2014’s 286 votes for the BNP with his new party – having scraped 17 votes last year and nine votes in 2016.

The Conservatives have put their faith in another familiar face in the shape of former city councillor Francis Lankester. The former cabinet member who served on the city council for 13 years before losing his seat in 2012 has made several unsuccessful attempts to regain his seat in the Guildhall.

He failed to win in Warndon in 2018 and Rainbow Hill in 2016 and lost out to Labour’s Jabba Riaz by 198 votes in Cathedral in 2014.

Dave Carney, UKIP’s latest candidate to stand in Nunnery, hopes to appeal more to voters than other candidates in recent elections where the party’s share of the vote has dropped from 737 votes in 2015 to 111 last year which meant the party finished last but one and behind the Green Party for the first time in recent history.

DAVE CARNEY (UKIP)

I’ve lived in Worcester for 10 years and see constant failings by those elected regarding issues that come with an expanding city.

Our infrastructure must be better planned and regularly reviewed to support growth, with local opinion paramount. Public transport, road layout, crossings and repairs all need addressing.

The local NHS can’t provide adequate service to the community, with increased waiting times and poor mental health services for the vulnerable.

As an ex-serviceman, I’m concerned with the lack of support for veterans. Schools are under-funded and over-subscribed.

The money is there for all of these things - it just needs to be better spent.

Vote UKIP and I’ll fight to address these problems, so we all enjoy our great city.

SIMON CRONIN (LABOUR)

I have been proud to represent Nunnery since 2007. I have always spoken up on behalf of the community and keep in touch with residents through a monthly drop-in surgery.

I currently chair the licensing and environmental health committee where important work is ongoing to improve air quality, develop the taxi trade and upgrade the city’s night-time activity.

I worry about the lack of decent, affordable housing in Nunnery. Too many live in poor housing rented from rogue landlords.

I am also concerned about the constant threat to Ronkswood and Medway community centres and the valuable services they provide. Tory cuts have gone too far.

You can count on me to speak up for you and your neighbours and to fight to protect the services on which we all depend.

FRANCIS LANKESTER (CONSERVATIVE)

I was proud to previously be a councillor who set up Worcester Community Trust and kept all our community centres open while many councils cut theirs.

I will fight for the return of the litter hit squad to tackle litter hotspots and for a subsidised domestic pest control service.

As a former Kilbury Drive resident I know Nunnery well. I strongly support the return of the Saturday skips.

I want to protect our green spaces. Both Newtown Green and the green space on Whittington Road are undeveloped because of campaigns of which I was a part.

Keeping CCTV cameras up to date to deter crime is vitally important for our city.

When Conservatives run the council, residents get good services at reasonable cost. We need a Conservative council again.

CARL MASON (BRITISH RESISTANCE)

We at the British Resistance wonder where the loyalties of our local councillors lies.

The Greens aren’t protecting the countryside and they are happy to concrete over the land to house the migrants. The Labour and Tory parties are happy to drive down wages via uncontrolled migration.

We at the British Resistance will put the British people first for jobs, housing, benefits and education. We aren’t afraid to put British people’s interests over other people.

Those politicians that boast about sabotaging Brexit or don’t serve the British people should be put on trial.

We will ask the people to vote on a suitable punishment for their crimes.

It’s time to vote for change. Vote for the British Resistance.

BARBARA MITRA (GREEN)

I have lived in the city for 20 years and work at the university.

I believe in a caring, inclusive and democratic society which enables everyone to have fulfilling work, follow their interests, and interact with their local community.

Having my own children (one with special needs including autism, epilepsy and PDA) means I understand the importance of supporting others to have rich and rewarding lives.

Our democracy should be participatory and empowering for people to take an active and informed part in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

If elected, I will do all I can to be a voice for local people and local issues. I believe the Green Party is the only party that has the policies to make our society fairer.