If the Liberal Democrats have any chance of getting councillors into the Guildhall after a couple of years in the wilderness, Claines is probably their best hope.

The party won three elections in a row here, meaning for a time the large three-member ward, a mixture of housing, rural scenes and business, had three councillor – a bright yellow splodge in an otherwise mainly blue and red electoral map.

The writing was perhaps on the wall, however – having won the 2010 election on the ward handily, Liberal Democrats were again victorious in 2010 and 2011 but with small majorities over their Conservative rivals.

Their last grip on the ward was broken in 2015, part of the party’s struggles nationally following its stint in coalition government from 2010-2015

Councillor Matt Lacey, who won this seat for the Conservatives in 2014, has stepped down after one term, so a new face, or in the case of the Conservative candidate Stuart Denleigh-Maxwell, a former councillor, will be elected on May 3.

People in Claines take a keen interest in democracy - year after year it boasts the best turn-out in the city, frequently topping 50 per cent of the electorate, although that dropped to just below 40 per cent in the last election in 2016.

There are more than 6,000 voters in Claines ward which also takes in a large chunk of the A449, where concerns about speeding and congestion have always been prevalent, as well as litter.

As well as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, Labour, who have traditionally got little change from the ward, has a candidate, as well as the Greens and UKIP’s Mark Hulme will reprise his attempt to win the seat in 2016.

Retaining a Conservative hold on the seat will be very important for the party’s hopes to take overall control of the council chamber. If the Liberal Democrats do come back into play in city council politics, it could make a significant difference to the horse-trading come May 4.