Tories aiming to keep up momentum

Nick Bourne wants to 'empower people and communities'

Welsh Conservatives have launched their local council election campaign pledging a "safer, greener, Wales".

Tories say they will do more to hand back power to communities, invest in local services, improve the environment and tackle anti-social behaviour.

The party say there are no "no-go areas" and hope to benefit from strong UK opinion poll ratings by fielding far more candidates than four years ago.

In the 2004 elections the Conservatives contested just 27% of wards.

The party leadership acknowledges that local government is its weakest area in Wales.

Speaking at the launch at Glamorgan county cricket club in Cardiff, Nick Ramsay AM said more people in Wales would have a chance to vote for Tory policies at the elections on 1 May.

"We have won more seats and more votes at every election in Wales since 1999," said Mr Ramsay, the Conservatives' local government spokesman.

"I am confident that impressive performance will continue next month."

KEY POLICY COMMITMENTS Introducing a £100 per pensioner household council tax discount Re-introducing weekly bin collections Working with developers to ensure all new social housing projects are environmentally-friendly Ensuring Welsh Conservative-controlled councils meet or exceed European waste recycling targets Nominating local green spaces and protecting them from development Introducing local projects to tackle graffiti, litter, dog fouling and fly tipping

As well as policy ideas on the environment and waste, the party is also campaigning to save local schools and post offices.

The Tories believe they can build on their successes in the last council elections in 2004 when they won power in Monmouthsire.

They are the largest group in the Vale of Glamorgan and share power in Bridgend, Conwy, Denbighshire and Wrexham.

At last month's party conference in Llandudno, Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne said he wanted to make "significant gains" in the local elections.

While the party has stressed it will be campaigning hard at a local level, the BBC understands several "big hitters" from the UK party leadership will be lending their weight to the Welsh campaign.

He stressed the approach would be based on "empowering people and communities" because "people not governments know what is really needed".