A market town best known for its black pudding and Sir Robert Peel, founder of the police force, may seem an unlikely focus for the Conservative Party. But Bury, in the middle of Labour’s northern heartland, may hold the key to showing how far David Cameron’s electoral appeal reaches beyond fashionable West London and whether he can lead a reversal of Tory fortunes in the North.

Until last year, when the Conservatives edged ahead but failed to capture Bury, Labour had led the council for 21 years. Now, the Tories believe that they can win the three seats they need for full control.

The roll call of high-profile visitors to the town, nine miles north of Man-chester, demonstrates how seriously the Tories are taking this election. William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary and key fundraiser for the party’s war chest for the North, has been three times; David Cameron visited a medical centre last week to be photographed with pensioners.

“Bury has always been quite a good barometer of national feeling,” Wilf Davison, a Liberal Democrat council-lor there, said. “So I expect that Labour will not do very well in the local elections and it’s possible that it will lose seats.”

On the streets of Redvales, a ward within East Bury that has the highest level of crime in the area and a larger number of people on benefits than the local average, Tory canvassers are optimistic about today’s poll. At present, the three ward councillors are all Labour but a swing of less than 2 per cent could change everything. “If 50 people change their minds, then we are OK,” said Ijaz Ahmed, the Tory candidate. “It all depends on turnout but we are very confident.

“We don’t just have support from traditional Conservative voters, we are getting people saying they no longer want to vote for Labour. Local issues are important but residents do care about national issues. A lot of people in this area are part of the group that have lost out the most.”

Despite the efforts of Mr Ahmed and his supporters, not everyone on the doorstep has been won over. Ruth Crossley, a 76-year-old retired teacher, has always voted Labour. “I am disappointed with Gordon Brown at the moment, he seems to dithering and keeps changing his mind and I think he was better as Chancellor. But I will give him and Labour another chance.”

Labour activists in Bury are counting on the votes of people like Mrs Crossley. Mindful of the Government’s unpopularity and the threat of a Tory-controlled council, campaigners have also been tramping the streets in an effort to “get out the vote”.

Wayne Campbell, leader of the Labour group on Bury council, joined Susan Southworth on a council estate in Redvales, where she is defending her seat. “We are canvassing everywhere in Bury because the Labour Party has to be seen,” he said. “But we are putting additional work into areas where we want to keep our seats.” Bury: Tory key town

Tories: 23 Labour: 20 Liberal Democrats: 8 Status: no overall control One third of the borough’s 51 seats are being contested, one seat in each of the 17 wards The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are contesting every seat on the council. The British National Party has candidates in eight wards

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