Camden Conservatives have pledged to give local people “more of a voice” if the party gains control of the council.

Group leader Cllr Claire-Louise Leyland, 40, said the Labour administration had failed to listen to the electorate over the past four years in power and insisted this would change under the Tories.

“I think they have made a lot of decisions without checking if they were the right decisions for local people,” she said.

“They’ve gone with innovative approaches but without checking if it was right for local people.

“Closing the cashiers’ office is not very helpful for local people, older people really liked to go and do not use the internet.”

The Belsize councillor, who became Tory group leader last May, said: “I think we are definitely going to gain some seats. Candidates have been getting a very good reception.

“We are looking at Fortune Green, West Hampstead and Bloomsbury. We are also working very hard on Regent’s Park.”

The psychotherapist was speaking to the Ham&High from Turkey this week, where she has been helping to train psychotherapists and psychologists treating traumatised Syrian children in refugee camps.

She said the Conservative group in Camden felt buoyed by the work done nationally by the party in government.

“The budget was very well-received and people are aware that the economy has shifted and things are looking much more positive,” she added.

“I think, on balance, people understand nationally we are trying to do everything we can to get the economy back on track and that’s locally what people want.

“They want to know that in the future their children live in a country with a good plan.”

Top three pledges:

- Cleaner Camden – bringing back weekend street-cleaning

- Keeping council tax low - while maintaining good services

- Safer streets – working with Boris to fund more bobbies on the beat