Taking the political temperature

It is the biggest local authority in Europe, with 750,000 potential voters and a budget of £3bn.

Birmingham City Council might have been expected to offer the perfect opportunity to take England's political temperature when a third of its councillors are elected on 3 May.

Birmingham is Europe's biggest local authority

Perhaps the local elections would be a referendum on Tony Blair's government - or an indicator of the northward march of the "Cameron effect", or of Sir Menzies' Campbell's first year as Lib Dem leader.

But the local parties are having none of it. All are happy to distance themselves from Westminster politics, and say what really matters to Brummie voters, is the smaller things in life.

Perhaps surprisingly for a city recently voted the Cleanest Place in Britain, dirty streets appears to be among voters' main concerns.

"If you go into inner city Birmingham... the number one issue is rubbish... it's not being dealt with in the manner that it should be," said Salma Yaqoob, one of the anti-war Respect party's two councillors in Birmingham.

She says Respect is not just about protest votes, she believes they can shake things up a little on Birmingham City Council.

'Cosy consensus'

"People are not speaking up about the issues that residents feel very strongly about. There's almost a cosy consensus," she told the BBC.

That's not to say she won't be happy to take the votes of those who want to punish Mr Blair at the polls: "That's a very important political thing to do."

Labour group leader Sir Albert Bore isn't worried about electors wanting to give Tony Blair a "kicking" at the polls.

Of course there will be an effect as a consequence of the national situation, but I don't see that as a major one this year Sir Albert Bore

"On the doorstep, we are not getting that message. There are lots of people who are going to be voting Labour because they want to vote Labour."

He also pinpoints "the cleanliness of their streets" and community safety as the main issues motivating voters.

"Of course there will be an effect as a consequence of the national situation, but I don't see that as a major one this year."

Labour has another obstacle to overcome. After 20 years in power in Birmingham, many voters assume they are still in power.

'Cameron effect'

"It happens all the time," said Sir Albert.

In fact the city has been controlled by a Tory-Lib Dem coalition since 2004. The Conservatives have struggled to gain a foothold in the north of England, but here in the West Midlands they are doing better.

Some of the group's policies sound like the sort of thing Mr Cameron would approve of - "the most comprehensive recycling and clean-up programme ever".

But the council's Tory leader Mike Whitby is reluctant to put the "Cameron effect" at the heart of the party's success here.

The Tories and Lib Dems say Birmingham is thriving under the coalition

He says the city's Tory-Lib Dem coalition - "the progressive partnership" - has delivered the lowest council tax of any of the major cities, as well as better housing and social services.

But what about David Cameron? "He's part of that, but not the only part," said Mr Whitby.

John Hemming, the Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley, said the coalition showed that politicians could "work together in the best interests of Birmingham".

He is not too worried about getting "squeezed" if people decide they will punish Labour by voting Tory.

Green contest

"In large parts of the city if you want to beat Labour you've got to vote Lib Dem," he said.

But what about Sir Menzies? "He is doing very well. The party is far more organised than it used to be, much more professional," says Mr Hemming.

There are currently no Green councillors on the council. But the party is hoping to increase its votes base. It is contesting all 40 available seats.

Spokesman Joe Rooney thinks Westminster politics are unlikely to be an issue with those who do vote - but might well have put a few people off going to the polls at all.

Of course they are concerned about the bigger issues, but what really annoys them are what you might call the minor pavement issues Paul Dale Birmingham Post

"These are people who might have had a pre-existing party loyalty or at least followed politics and were interested, but also feel disengaged by the heavy handed centralist decision making - that's exactly what the Greens are against."

Road safety, local housing shortages and anti-social behaviour are the big issues he has noticed on the doorstep - as well as the perennial street cleanliness.

"Often it's problems with the recycling not being collected, or the occasional split bag or things like that. It's an issue which comes to mind because you see it when you come out of your house and go to work."

Last year the British National Party had its first candidate elected to the city council. That result was overturned in court two months later, after it emerged that some votes had been cast twice.

BNP recycling

Still the BNP picked up just under 250,000 votes nationwide in last year's local elections and have about 40 councillors around England. They're hoping to pick up a few more this year.

The BNP's traditional message on immigration resonates on the doorstep, he says, although council tax is also a big issue. "It's like paying rent on your own home," says BNP deputy leader Simon Darby, who believes it is sometimes "being manipulated to finance bad local government".

But down at the canal side, another hot potato is rising to the surface. "If you look around here, if you look at the rubbish even floating in the canal here - it's a disgrace."

And it appears it is not just the main parties that are treading on traditional Green Party territory, Mr Darby stresses he is a relevantly recent convert to recycling.

"I'm afraid it has to be done," he said. "We have got to take our recycling responsibilities really seriously".

Paul Dale, public affairs editor of the Birmingham Post, said polls over the last six years had shown that people voted on local issues, rather than what was happening at Westminster.

"What people out there are really concerned about is the state of the pavements, graffiti, anti-social behaviour, they are worried about youths hanging around on street corners, they are worried about crime.

"Of course they are concerned about the bigger issues, but what really annoys them are what you might call the minor pavement issues."