One Wirral ward could have a huge say in the future of the borough - and that's Pensby and Thingwall.

Wirral Council's elections are coming up on May 6, and with the authority in no overall control every vote matters.

Labour needs to gain two wards to regain its majority in Wallasey Town Hall, while the opposition parties will be hoping to take Labour seats and put the party's leadership of the authority in doubt.

Pensby and Thingwall is one of the most marginal wards in Wirral.

It is currently represented by one Labour councillor, one Conservative and one Independent.

But that will change this year as Independent Mike Sullivan is standing down.

In 2016, when Mr Sullivan was last up for election, he stood as the Labour candidate but has since left the party.

Five years ago he won for Labour with 49% of the vote and a fairly comfortable majority of 702 (15%) over the Conservatives.

However, the Tories have been on the march since then and took the seat from Labour in 2019 with Cllr Mike Collins winning 45% of the vote, beating Labour by 10% (or 702 votes).

Losing that seat, along with the Birkenhead and Tranmere ward, as well as Prenton, to the Green Party, saw Labour lose control of the council despite taking Rock Ferry from an Independent candidate.

Now, two years on, the party has its sights set on taking the seat back.

But the Conservatives will fancy their chances of holding onto it given their steady rise in vote share in the ward in recent years, while the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party are also standing in the ward.

The Greens saw their Pensby and Thingwall vote share surge to 14% in the 2019 contest, while the Lib Dems' share fell slightly from 7%-6%.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to each candidate and asked what they would do should they be elected on May 6.

Labour's candidate is Dr Tim Watson, 56, a chemist and a carer.

Dr Watson has five key priorities he is focusing his campaign on.

The first is making sure the NHS can deliver for Wirral.

Dr Watson said: "My wife is a nurse at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and I have always campaigned for our NHS.

"I became more politically involved after becoming a committee member of Defend our NHS Wirral, which aims to protect and restore our NHS by stopping and reversing privatisation of services.

"Wirral has already seen severe cuts to services and with private companies able to use the NHS logo, privatisation has proceeded by stealth.

"We cannot allow healthcare companies to put profit ahead of patient care, this will lead to unnecessary pain and suffering."

A second aim for Dr Watson was to protect the greenbelt and other green spaces.

He said: "Our greenbelt brings tremendous health benefits by providing residents with space to be active and crucially it also protects our air quality. I have been campaigning for this for many years, long before I became involved in politics, and was part of a small team organising a campaign to stop the building of the Hoylake Golf Resort on the greenbelt.

"I joined the Labour Party and began fighting to protect the greenbelt and save our NHS within the party.

"I am delighted to say that Wirral's Labour councillors have recently announced a brownfield only regeneration that will see Wirral's greenbelt protected for years to come. Labour councillors will support this plan when it comes to full council in the summer."

Another area of focus for Dr Watson was good quality affordable and social housing on brownfield sites.

Dr Watson added: "I am determined to see Wirral address its housing shortage through the construction of Council houses.

"Far too many people are paying much more than they need to for substandard privately rented accommodation and many thousands are stuck on the housing waiting list.

"Poor housing is known to cause ill-health and is one of main causes of the inequality we see across our borough."

On transport, the Labour member continued: "Pensby and Thingwall has some specific issues such as poor transport links and poor youth provision that need addressing.

"Privatisation of bus services has seen a dramatic cut in routes and has left many people isolated. I am delighted that Steve Rotherham as Liverpool City Region Mayor is pushing for re-regulation of our bus services which should see many routes restored."

Dr Watson also wanted what he called "fair funding" for the council, slamming the Tories for cuts made to local government since 2010.

Dr Watson said: "The planned regeneration and redevelopment of Birkenhead is primarily funded by one-off grants while the money available for day-to-day expenses, primarily the revenue support grant from government, has resulted in £250m loss of funds.

"Following the government's promise 'to do whatever it takes' the government did not fully reimburse the council for its pandemic spending. This has left the council needing to borrow from the government.

"I will work within the council to push for more funds for Pensby and Thingwall, and will work with other councils to apply whatever pressure we can to get fairer funding for Wirral from government."

Dr Watson's main rival for the seat is the Conservative candidate, Dr Ivan Camphor.

Dr Camphor, who is one of a small number of ethnic minority candidates standing in Wirral, is a GP who works at Heatherlands Medical Centre in Woodchurch.

The Conservative candidate said: "The reason i'm standing is that I've been hearing for the last two years people in my ward complaining about the greenbelt and how the council wants to build there.

"I think it is important for people's wellbeing and mental health. My priority is to ensure that the Local Plan protects the greenbelt from development."

Dr Camphor said Labour's plans have threatened the greenbelt "for ages", giving the ditched Hoylake Golf Resort plan as an example of a botched project which the council supported at one point.

He added: "It is time for local people to stand up and say no to building on the greenbelt, that's what I'm fighting for."

Among the Conservative candidate's other priorities are keeping Wirral clean and green and extending youth provisions.

The GP disagreed with Wirral Council's decision to close Pensby Children's Centre late last year and wants it to be reinstated.

Dr Camphor added: "People in Pensby should have the same facilities as anywhere else in the country and should be able to protect their green spaces.

"The council is disconnected from the community."

The Green Party is standing Allen Burton as its candidate.

Mr Burton works as a podiatrist and is a former teacher and magistrate.

On his election priorities, Mr Burton said: "Residents have made it clear that protecting the greenbelt is essential to preserve our quality of life and prevent urban sprawl. If elected, I would do everything to ensure this is a priority and hold the council to its brownfield-first commitment for new housing."

"We have to make it easier for residents who don't have a car to travel around Wirral and for those who do to have the option to leave the car at home. Progress on regaining control of our bus network is far too slow. This has to change."

The Green Party candidate wanted more done to tackle what he called "environmental crime".

Mr Burton said: "Litter, fly-tipping and dog fouling are issues that come up time and time again. I would ensure that Pensby and Thingwall gets its fair share of the budget to educate around and enforce laws to keep our streets clean.

He added: "Our streets are not safe enough for pedestrians and cyclists. Inconsiderate parking means our pvements are routinely blocked.

"I want the police to take this far more seriously and to also address the danger from speeding traffic that blights our community. The council can do much more to calm our streets and prioritise people before traffic."

Among Mr Burton's other priorities were helping local shops and doing more to tackled climate change.

Mr Burton continued: "It is more essential than ever that people can easily access the everyday essentials. Supporting local shops and business is vital for the future wellbeing of our community.

"Green councillors have done great work in getting the council to declare a climate emergency. It's now essential that warm words are turned into firm actions to drastically cut our emissions while at the same time making Wirral a cleaner and healthier place to live."

The Lib Dem candidate is Dr Phil Waterfield, who has recently retired after 32 years working as a research manager at Unilever Laboratories in Port Sunlight.

Dr Waterfield said: "The impact of COVID in our country will be felt for years to come. We need a new deal that will repair the damage, and help young people find jobs and secure and affordable homes.

"Where building takes place, the developers must contribute to the services these growing communities need. They should be regenerating brownfield sites, not [making] inroads into the greenbelt, protecting countryside like that around Gill's Lane.

"With any new housing developments, the council must work closely with our NHS to secure the new doctors and dentists that Wirral will need.

"If our population grows, as Wirral regenerates, we have to get that right. Development must reflect the needs of the local communities, with the right mix of homes."

Dr Waterfield brought up the issue of social care, something he felt must improve.

The Lib Dem candidate added: "For years the government has promised a new way of funding care of the elderly, reform of that is now long overdue, to be fair for future generations. The council must press for that.

"The Liberal Democrats used our votes to end the cabinet system that undermined trust in local decision making. Our council with no overall control is now better placed to decide spending priorities.

"Liberal Democrats have always worked across party divides in the interests of Wirral, and we will continue to do so. More Liberal Democrat councillors will enable an even better balance of decision making that affects all our lives living in Wirral."