The new Pembroke West Central seat is one of only two three-way fights on July 24 - and it is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing battles in the election.

A mainly black working and middle class seat, it consists of about two thirds of the old Pembroke West Central won by the Progressive Labour Party in 1998, and one third the former Pembroke West ward held by the United Bermuda Party.

PLP candidate Neletha (Honey) Butterfield - who held Pembroke West Central - and her UBP opponent Erwin Adderley, the former Pembroke West MP, are both confident they can take the prize.

But independent candidate Stuart Hayward has waded into the contest, and he says there is more uncertainty among supporters of the two main parties than he has ever seen.

And the environmental activist knows the neighbourhood well, having represented Pembroke West Central as an independent MP from 1989 to 1993.

Neither Ms Butterfield, who was Minister Without Portfolio in the last election, nor Mr. Adderley, the former shadow Transport Minister, say they are concerned about Mr. Hayward.

Constituency 18 has 1049 voters and runs from Sunset Pass in the West to Berkeley Road and Overview Lane in the East, with North Shore Road and St. John's Road forming the other boundaries.

Ms Butterfield said: "The campaign is going very well. People are congratulating me and saying keep the faith, even though the independent has come forward.

"I've had nothing but positive feedback and people have been very supportive. They would like to see the housing issue dealt with more, but that's an ongoing issue.

"Some of the residents were complaining about dust and sand from Berkeley site on their properties and who was going to be responsible for that. They also enquired when North Shore Road will be paved and that will be the very near future.

"I've stood in for most ministries which has given me an insight into how to get things done. "Stuart's running does not affect my chances. I think my chances are very good. I entered politics in 1989 and have canvassed the area since then.

"Stuart has taken a break for ten years (since losing his seat), but I've still been working that area all the time. Mr. Adderley moved away and hasn't resided in the immediate area for two or three decades.

"I've been open and available because I have lived in the heart of the constituency. My only disappointment has been when people have had a problem and not come to me.

"I don't have any concerns. The polls show quite a lot of people are not interested in an independent. If they come out as they said they would vote for the PLP, we can see ourselves regaining the seat one more time."

Mr. Adderley said he was raised in the area and while he had moved away, he still had very strong family ties in the constituency.

"It is the same issues we are hearing everywhere else: the cost of housing, relief for seniors for hospital bills and glasses and seniors feeling less secure in their homes," he said.

"And the drug dealing in areas like Admiralty House adds to that. People got used to the community policeman and that doesn't exist anymore and we would reintroduce that so people feel more secure, and the neighbourhood policeman can identify problems.

"I expect to do well and I am confident I will do well. I am not worried about Stuart Hayward or Neletha Butterfield.

"I am worried about presenting the best case I can to the constituents and make sure I contact them as regularly as possible.

"Since I announced I was running, I have canvassed the whole constituency twice and I want to make sure I see everyone once, twice or maybe three times, tell them what I bring to the table and look them in the eye and let them know I am sincere.

"I believe my record in West Pembroke indicates I've listened and got things done. I was a problem solver, or if I couldn't solve the problem I would point people in the direction of a solution, and I was accessible."

Mr. Hayward said the biggest problems on the doorstep were crime, drugs, seniors, affordable housing, congestion, pollution.

"It is the most unsettled I have seen many of the electorate with both parties," he said.

"There are people who are very strong PLP supporters who are somewhat disenchanted with the PLP's performance but are still committed to the party. The same is true with UBP supporters.

"My candidacy creates a greater degree of uncertainty for PLP households because I am seen as a way of not necessarily supporting the PLP, but not having to support the other side."

He said many PLP supporters feel the party's mistakes are reported more than their successes.

"There is concern about dissension within the party and how it is dealt with (by the PLP hierarchy), the sometimes snap statements by ministers that seem to have a degree of insensitivity.

"And there are policy decisions that don't seem to be in the interests of the entire community."

UBP dissatisfaction is "much harder to read. These are people who are very clear about crime issues and most are interested in the environment, but I haven't touched with enough of them to say I understand it. They are more clear about what the PLP has done wrong and hasn't done right.

"I hope I can make all the voters think again. I don't have any hidden agenda. I've been a community activist for 40 years and all the work I've done has been for the community and they see me as community-minded rather than someone looking for party or personal gain.

"There is a desire for good parliamentarians, people who can be trusted and a desire for people who can work in the public's interest. I am someone who doesn't have an ideological bias against working across the gaps and building bridges, and I think I have a little edge there."