Labour should hold their three seats in this ward - but the election will be by no means boring.

A host of parties and 16 candidates are vying for a place in the council chamber. And seasoned Labour councillor Tehmtan Framroze is making way for former councillor Christine Simpson.

Political activist Tony Greenstein and dump-the-dump campaigner Nick Savvides are working hard for votes, as are the two Socialist Alternative candidates.

The Labour Party councillors held a comfortable majority in 2003, collecting 600 more votes than their nearest rivals, the Conservatives.

It would take a huge swing for the Tory candidates - Nick Garside, Karen Miles and Carol Ramsden - to take seats but they are confident that they can have an impact because of disenchantment with the Labour party nationally and locally.

Labour's Jeane Lepper and Pat Hawkes are both well known and hold important positions at the council, looking after licensing and education respectively.

While the council housing transfer ballot has stirred up some anger, the most contentious political issue in the ward is the decision to build a waste transfer station in Hollingdean.

Nick Savvides is standing on the dump-the-dump ticket and believes that all the main political parties have let residents down, although all local Labour councillors campaigned against the proposal.

The Lib Dems are fielding a full slate of candidates - Vanessa Blackwell, Trevor Freeman and John Riddington.

The Greens will be represented by Tom Druitt, who is setting up the Big Lemon bus company, Amelia Mills and Guy Richardson.

Andrew Clarke and Phillip Clarke are standing for Socialist Alternative.