Parking, pollution and potholes: issues in England's local election battlegrounds

Parking, pollution and potholes are among the top issues raised by parties battling to take or retain control of unitary and metropolitan councils in England next week.

In Milton Keynes, currently under no overall control, the Conservatives pledge to build "at least one multi-storey car park" with detailed plans by September. The party claims that parking has become "a major barrier for employers and retailers" and they would reduce premium rate parking tariffs and introduce new tariffs to encourage more visitors and longer stays. It would seek to improve bus services and provide alternatives "where buses are uneconomic".

Labour, the largest party in Milton Keynes, is promising, in contrast, to build a new bus station and "no additional cuts to the public transport budget" whilst "continuing investment in innovative transport solutions such as pods and a 'super tram' from M1 junction 14. It is more equivocal on a new car park, saying it only wants to "build a multi-storey car park in the right place, at the right time, and for the right cost".

In Bristol the two frontrunners, incumbent independent candidate George Ferguson and the Labour challenger Marvin Rees, both have pledged to review residents parking zones and 20mph zones. Both also say they would introduce a low-emission zone, Ferguson says this will be "widespread," whilst Labour promises to pilot a LEZ in the city centre. Ferguson would also "remove car traffic from the historic heart of the city" while Labour wants more car-sharing lanes at "pinchpoints".

In Stockport, where there is no overall control and currently a Lib Dem-Independent administration, Labour is pledging it would commission a business case to examine "all viable options for bringing Metrolink to Stockport town centre" and to also introduce discounted bus travel to local residents to "ensure everybody can access public transport".

The Lib Dems in the Liverpool mayoral election, meanwhile, would explore the opportunities for a tram-train link to Liverpool John Lennon Airport and consider re-introducing the "ill-thought out removal of bus lanes". UKIP, sharing power in Walsall and Portsmouth, named road maintenance as its number one transport priority for councils nationally, arguing that "mending potholes should take priority over council vanity schemes". It would also increase provision of free parking.