Mid Suffolk isn't usually seen as an area of political revolution - but the Green Party hopes that's what will happen on May 4.

In 2019 it won 12 of the 34 seats on the council - becoming the largest opposition party.

The ruling Conservative group lost its leader and its majority in that election - but hung on to power thanks to the support of an Independent councillor and the casting vote of the chair.

This time the Greens are aiming to win the six extra seats they need to form an administration - and are confident of being the largest single party at the council.

The party is so pleased with what is happening in Mid Suffolk that it brought its national election campaign launch to Stowmarket.

However so far the election campaign in the district has been dominated by problems with the publication of the list of candidates.

It was published late and there were two significant errors, one involving England's most marginal ward Stowmarket St Peters where the Conservatives won by a single vote in 2019.

While the Electoral Commission has told the council it acted appropriately in dealing with the mistakes, Mid Suffolk Greens are demanding an investigation into how the problems happened in the first place.

They are also concerned that there were also mistakes in the lists of candidates for town and parish councillors - including listing some as "Local Conservatives" who were not standing for the party.

In Mid Suffolk Green Party candidates made big gains in rural seats four years ago - and in Stowmarket the Liberal Democrats have made their mark.

The parties work quite closely in the council chamber - and even if the Greens win a majority it is not out of the question that other groups could be offered seats on the cabinet.

Green group leader Andy Mellen said he would favour a collaborative approach if he was running the council and his colleague Andrew Stringer - who leads the Green, LibDem and Independent group at Suffolk County Council said they would look for the best talent whichever party the members were from.

But the Tories won't give up Mid Suffolk without a fight - and many of their candidates have labelled themsleves "Local Conservatives" prompting their opponents to claim they are distancing themsleves from the national government's record.

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore - a former Mid Suffolk council leader - is standing again, this time in his home ward of Palgrave rather than Claydon and Barham.

East Anglian Daily Times: Mid Suffolk District Council leader Nick Gowrley outside the former Aldi store in Stowmarket which the council has bought Picture: MID SUFFOLK DISTRICT COUNCIL

One of the candidates for that seat this time is former council leader Nick Gowrley who lost his Stowmarket seat four years ago.

However Claydon and Barham has been a good area for the Liberal Democrats in the past and it is likely to be tight contest there again.

Labour has no councillors on Mid Suffolk - and is only contesting a limited number of wards in the district this year.

In 2019 Mid Suffolk was the most marginal council in the country - literally one vote in the Stowmarket St Peter's Ward was the difference between Conservatives running it for another four years or a Green/Liberal Democrat coalition taking over.

This year both parties know there will be a tough contest - and everyone will be hoping that the glitches that marred the announcement of candidates last week will be forgotten and that the count the day after the May 4 election goes smoothly.