Bedford Borough Council election preview special: Queens Park

But he is not standing in 2019, and will leave a big hole in the ward which will be hotly contested between Labour and the Conservatives.

Both Mr Yasin and his fellow Labour councillor Mohammed Masud were elected comfortably in 2015, but it will still be a target ward for the Tories who have come close in previous elections.

Assuming Cllr Masud maintains his 400-vote cushion that leaves one spare seat – with fellow Labour candidate Nesreen Akhtar surely in pole position.

From a Conservative viewpoint the ward has been a seesaw for the past 20 years – sometimes they have lost heavily, sometimes they’ve missed out narrowly, yet they have never quite made the breakthrough.

However, the Conservatives have historically put a lot of effort into the area during both local and national elections, and either Abdul Razakq and June Kuria could yet make Queens Park a split ward.

Meanwhile the Green candidate Hannah Jones is another familiar face, having stood for Queens Park four years ago.

And Independent Taru Miah has also been visible on local doorsteps.

The full list of candidates standing in Queens Park:

Abdul Razakq Ahmed (Conservative)

Nesreen Akhtar (Labour)

Hannah Mary Jones (Green)

June Kuria (Conservative)

Mohammed Masud (Labour)

Taru Miah (Independent)

Michael Charles Pattison (Liberal Democrat)

Janet Elizabeth Trengrove (Liberal Democrat)