It is fourth in terms of population by square kilometre and is more densely populated than Old Town. 

The population of the next-door ward of Ridgeway is a significant concern to the voters in Covingham & Dorcan. 

Defined by the A419, which forms its eastern boundary, the ward features the modern housing estates of Covingham at its northern reaches. It becomes more industrial and business-focussed the further south you travel into Dorcan. The secondary school there – Dorcan Academy – is surrounded by the warehouses, offices and light industrial units of the trading estates clustered around Edison Road, including the Royal Mail centre. 

To the south of that is more housing in the northern reaches of Liden. 

Over the A419 lies the farmland that will see up to 8,000 houses built on it for the New Eastern Villages project.

People living in Covingham and Dorcan will be aware of the preparations – a major project to remodel the White Hart roundabout in anticipation of the Swindon-bound traffic from all those houses has been going on for more than a year. 

How that traffic affects the lives of those living on the route between the town centre and the new expansion is an issue for those in the ward as will be the effect on schools and doctors surgeries and other amenities. 

The ward was constructed in 2012 and has become more solidly Conservative since then.

At the first election it returned two Conservatives and a Labour councillor. Labour member Julian Price only had two years in the seat until he was defeated by former town mayor Kevin Parry in 2014. 

At her last election in 2016 the sitting councillor Barbara Parry, who is married to Kevin, won with 41 per cent of the vote. While that  figure will very likely be sufficient to return her this year, she will be hoping to achieve the 60 per cent plus vote share her husband and fellow Conservative Dale Heenan managed in 2018 and 2019. 

The impact of an anti-lockdown candidate after a year of pandemic restrictions can not be discounted, but it’s fair to say if any candidate other than Coun Parry wins something significant is changing in Swindon’s local politics. 

Meet the candidates:

Clare Bartholomew (Independent)

"I live in Liden and I am a small business owner. 

"I believe passionately that people should be able to return to living their lives and running their businesses without any more restrictions. I believe that our civil liberties must be protected and that any pharmaceutical intervention must be a choice. 

"Residents deserve a representative with a fresh outlook, our political system has been stuck in a rut for too long. We need real people who care about real peoples’ concerns."

Barbara Parry (Conservative)

"I am a local resident and have lived here most of my life.

"I am proud to have served you as the ward councillor for Covingham and Dorcan for the past five years as a strong local voice and community leader.

"I work collaboratively with colleagues and other partners, all year round, to keep the area clean and tidy, protecting our local environment.

"I have supported community clean up and action days each year. I have ensured roads are safe and well maintained and tackled crime and anti-social behaviour.

"I am passionate about our local community and supporting and championing young people.

"I am proactive in my case work for residents.

"I will always stand up to protect our green open spaces and against flooding and I have campaigned on big issues such as the Great Stall Bridge to protect our community from the New Eastern Villages development."

Ionel Tamas (Liberal Democrat)

"I’ve lived in Liden, since 2014 with my wife and two children. 

"I like Liden because it reminds me of my hometown and because of the nice, friendly people in the community. I travelled a lot in my younger years from which I learned many interesting things from different cultures and people. 

"I learnt that living in a community is about open and diverse groups working together to make an area better. I have always taken keen interest in public affairs and how politics can be used to enrich people’s lives. 

"I’ve tried to get involved in every community I have lived in and am a hard-working person that always tries to offer myself, my family and my friends support for a better life.

"That’s why now, after I getting to know my Liden community, I want to do more to improve the lives of my fellow residents."

Sean Wilson (Labour)

"I am an independent financial adviser so have a background in legal and financial compliance. 

"I would improve councillor diversity representing the sick and disabled. I believe that well-run public services are vital to the community, which have only decline under the Tories, despite massive hikes in council tax and that Swindon deserves better.

"I have actively held Nythe, Eldene and Liden Parish Council to account over its accounting and governance problems, broke the story about the closure of Covingham Library to the local media, starting a petition to save it and spoke to the key stakeholders about its future.

"Liden Library could also be under threat and if so I will campaign to protect it. The New Eastern Villages expansion adds increased pressure on roads, services and the environment within the ward as does the potential of flooding from the River Cole. I will be an active advocate for residents on these issues."