As the election season gets underway the local Green Party has been filled with optimism following an online Cambridge News poll showed the Greens to be in the lead at 48.2%, with the Lib Dems 4% behind them.

In response to this turn of events, Green Party candidate Tony Juniper told Varsity, “we’re obviously pleased to see such strong support, but in the end the only poll that really matters is the one that takes place on May 6th.” Juniper said the party was planning to keep hard at work on “an excellent campaign” to ensure this support transferred into votes.

The candidate also said the poll was a reflection of people realising that the Green Party had more to offer than just the environment.

With students accounting for nearly one quarter of the vote, local candidates from all parties are taking care to pay special attention to student concerns. Speaking to Varsity last term as part of the Politics survey, Lib Dem candidate Julian Huppert said that as a former Cambridge student, he “knows the issues [students] face”.

Labour candidate Daniel Zeichner and Conservative Nick Hillman are also former Cambridge students.

One issue that is at the forefront of the campaign is that of tuition fees. While all four candidates claim to oppose higher fees, Huppert and Juniper have stated that their parties would “scrap tuition fees” entirely.

Hillman has taken a different approach, promising 10,000 more university places in 2010/11. Instead of pledging to lower fees, Hillman told Varsity, “We are committed to substantial – and difficult – changes to bring down the deficit more quickly than the other parties.”

Zeichner, on the other hand, stressed the investments that Labour has committed to make. According to him, “Labour will continue to invest in higher education, in the health service and in schools whereas it’s quite clear that the conservatives are ideologically opposed to that kind of state.”

Huppert, who lists “trust” as his number one political issue, is sceptical about the Cambridge News poll’s results. “Anyone with a computer can vote as many times as they like. I would put more emphasis on the polls done by TCS and Varsity where the Greens have come fourth.”

The Electoral Reform Society had dubbed Cambridgeshire’s seats “safe as houses”, while Vince Cable told Cambridge News that he was confident of another local triumph.

Huppert also told Varsity that the local elections were “obviously a race between us and Labour”, and that Clegg’s performance in the first leaders’ debate has brought the Lib Dems closer to a local win.

Opinion polls nationwide have seen a surge in support following Clegg’s delivery on Thursday night.