Crime, education, housing and jobs for Bermudians are among the issues on the minds of people living in Warwick South Central.

The constituency, which has been deemed district number 26, runs from Olive Bank Drive, along Middle Road to Stadium Lane, and up across to the South Shore, taking in the Pearman's Hill area. Although the area is not the biggest of the constituencies, it is one of the most densely populated with 1,031 eligible voters.

Considered a largely black area, it is lower to middle class and includes a rich mix of people, from seniors to young families.

Groups of youths congregate in the area, and, like everywhere across the Island, the residents of Warwick South Central are interested in getting the young people engaged in useful pastimes, and want to see crime and housing tackled seriously by the new Government.

The Progressive Labour Party's Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown is likely to face the United Bermuda Party's Gwyneth Rawlins at the polls on July 24, but she has not been officially announced yet. And although the PLP won by a fair margin at the last election, the UBP also got substantial support, so it will be interesting to see what happens this time around.

Ms Rawlins, who is secretary of the UBP, is new to elections, having never been a candidate before. But Dr. Brown is very familiar with the area. He won 1,193 votes for the Warwick West district in the 1998 election, which has now been teamed up with part of Warwick East to make the new constituency. And his former running partner, the PLP's Elvin James, won 1,195 of the votes.

The area includes PHC club on Middle Road, Warwick Post Office, and a number of churches. Resident Cisco Smith, of Khyber Heights Lane, said he had not yet made up his mind who he was going to vote for, although he voted PLP last time around.

The air conditioning and refrigeration technician said he thought the PLP had achieved both good and bad things in the four-and-a-half years since the last election, and was now listening to the promises both the UBP and PLP were making.

He said: “There are a lot of things that I think people want to see looked at. For me, work permits are one of the main things. Government should not be just handing work permits out. “