LIBERAL Democrat candidate Liz Smith (above), who was the city councillor for Claines from 1990 to 2000, is making a return to local politics in the elections after taking a break to look after her mum.

She said she had worked hard over the years for road safety improvements in the area, particularly on Droitwich Road and Ombersley Road, the main routes through the ward.

"I am grateful that two long-awaited pedestrian crossings on Ombersley Road are soon to appear. But I wonder why they are taking so long," she said.

Mrs Smith, who became Worcester's first Liberal Democrat Mayor in 1995, echoed the need for improvements to the Cornmeadow Lane playing field, including play equipment for children promised by the council for years.

"They would have to be carefully designed and sited so as not to be a magnet for a handful of badly-behaved young people," she said.

"I would advocate regular patrols by neighbourhood wardens or community police."

The mother-of-two, who has lived in Claines since she came to Worcester in 1976, said the Liberal Democrats' national commitment to scrap council tax and replace it with a local tax, based on people's income, would address concerns about the increase in council tax, particularly among pensioners.