Balance of power

With neither the Conservatives nor Labour enjoying an overall majority on Swindon Council, the Lib Dems hold the key to power and can choose which party they wish to work with.

It is a position of influence that Swindon's Lib Dem leader Mike Evemy no doubt relishes.

Interestingly, for a party often regarded as being closer to Labour than the Tories, the Lib Dems allowed the Conservatives to form a minority administration last May.

But in February they joined with Labour to throw out the Conservatives' proposed tax rise of 6.3 per cent and replace it with a 7.3 per cent increase.

Coun Evemy says the Lib Dems have used their influence to give the council chamber a focus on the environment and on delivering quality services.

It was a Lib Dem proposal in the 2001 budget to start a home recycling scheme in Swindon, he says.

For a politician asking voters to trust him with power, Coun Evemy is unusually keen to share it around with the people, who he says should have more say in the running of the town than the regular marking of a ballot paper.

"We want to involve people in decisions that affect their lives rather than telling them what to do," he says.

The Lib Dems stand no chance of winning outright control of the council this month. But they insist they can be a force for good by engaging in constructive opposition.

"We have been prepared to say when the council has made serious mistakes and have been prepared to help sort out the council's problems," says Coun Evemy.

The biggest problem for the Lib Dems is the perception they are all things to all people.

In trying to attract votes from all sides of the political spectrum, they are often accused by their opponents of opportunism.

One example of this was when two Lib Dem councillors were featured on the party's website appearing to offer tacit support to controversial plans for a new football stadium on the site of Shaw Community Forest. When the strength of opposition to the proposals became clear, the web page was removed because of the "confusion" it was causing.

But the party, which denies jumping on the bandwagon, says it is not supporting the stadium after all.

Coun Evemy is keen to put clear yellow water between the Lib Dems and the two bigger parties, in an attempt to offer voters a real alternative at the election.

"Labour had control of the council for 20 years and they have failed," he says. "They had the opportunity and they screwed up."

As for the Tories, he adds: "They talk a good game but don't always deliver."

On council tax, Coun Evemy seeks to position his party between what he would regard as the service-slashing Tories and tax-hiking Labour.

"We voted for two council tax rises but against high rises," he says.

"The Tories would be prepared to cut services to keep council tax down as they wanted to this year," he says.

This is in reference to the Conservatives' decision to draw up a hit list of possible savings ahead of February's meeting to set council tax, in which grants to vital voluntary groups were earmarked as potential targets for savings.

In the end the Lib Dems helped Labour push through a higher council tax increase to lift the threat of cuts from voluntary groups for another year.

Coun Evemy does not let Labour off the hook and accuses it of raising council tax without always getting best value for money.

But the Lib Dems' most populist idea is to scrap council tax altogether.

Although it is nothing more than an idea Charles Kennedy would have to be elected to Number 10 before the Lib Dems could implement their pledge it is one that would have to be taken seriously if the party performed well on June 10.

"If the Lib Dems do very well across the country it will cause the government to look at abolishing council tax and do something about it," says Coun Evemy.

The Lib Dems would seek to replace council tax which is largely a tax on property with a local income tax.

They claim 70 per cent of people would be paying the same or less than they currently pay in council tax.

Coun Evemy admits a significant minority would be paying more, and dual income families would see their bills go up considerably.

But those who paid more would be those who could afford to do so, he says.

Factfile...Mike Evemy

Age: 37

Career: Marketing

Last book read: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Political hero: JFK

Interests: Walking and swimming

Biggest weakness: Paying too much attention to detail

Favourite music: Robbie Williams

Favourite thing about Swindon: Rural villages