The polls will open on Thursday to elect a new mayor for Bedford - but how do the candidates actually differ? SIMON HUTCHINSON has the last word on an intriguing battle.
Following the sudden death of Mayor Frank Branston in August, the scramble quickly kicked in for the right to be his successor and lead the unitary council forward.
Nothing was obvious about who would be standing, but in our office we went for Nicky Attenborough or Tom Wootton (Conservative), Charles Royden or Dave Hodgson (Lib Dem), Randolph Charles (Labour) and probably Apu Bagchi and Phil Lotan (Independent).
We also knew that the Greens would put someone forward, and there was also speculation about candidates from the BNP and the Democratic Nationalists but neither group put a name forward.
We got one and a half right.
Hodgson was the first person to throw his hat into the ring and in all fairness he got the ball rolling straight away.
There were flyers, phone calls and promises of visits from Lib-Dem big-wigs from the start and Dave has been very well backed by the group with leader Nick Clegg and deputy leader Vince Cable both coming to town the week before the voting.
As a former ‘mayor’ of Bedford, Apu Bagchi was always a likely candidate.
Despite being a staunch Labour supporter for many decades, Apu left the group on the borough council and flew solo under the Independent banner.
The Castle Road councillor also knows that publicity counts and it didn’t take him too long to get the ‘man in white’ – former MP Martin Bell – on board and in Bedford supporting his campaign.
Labour meanwhile appear to have found the going a little tough.
Despite a reasonable result in the June elections it was unclear who was going to stand in the mayoral race.
Randolph Charles took on the challenge last time, but this year James Valentine has been given the opportunity to dip his toe in the water.
I don’t know if it is any indication that no one from the central office has been to visit and back their man – although MEP Richard Howitt did make a brief appearance.
Former councillor Tony Hare has certainly been as busy as usual in his preparations for the election and the Green candidate Eve Robinson-Morley has also.
The most surprising ‘campaign’ though has to go to the Tories. Results may prove me wrong, but I can’t help but feel that the Conservatives shot themselves in the foot.
David Cameron visited the town but because of their controversial open nominations there was no one in place for him to give his backing to.
Surely a trick missed, as Mr Cameron is back again on Monday (October 12) to lend support, which might be too little, too late.
And before the letters come in, I’m not insinuating that Parvez isn’t a good candidate – far from it. He has done a great job in Queens Park and that particular seat at the June election was by far the most keenly contested.
What I am saying is that the Tories ended up a fortnight behind other groups in announcing their candidate.
The group had to then write literature, draw up leaflets and get these things out, but by that point people were probably already getting bored of papers coming through the letterbox.
So what’s the difference between the candidates manifestos? Not a lot really.
They all want to lower council tax, deliver jobs, reduce crime, repair roads and make Bedford a better place.
Will these almost identical promises help voters when they go to the booths? I doubt it, but I look forward to the result of what has come down to a popularity competition on Friday.