A lthough Cotham is not far from Bristol city centre, it's a relative backwater when compared to other wards.

Mostly residential, except for shopkeepers and small businesses, Cotham is a wealthier suburb than most with a high number of students living in rented accommodation.

The most distinguishable feature is probably the railway bridge known as "The Arches" which spans Cheltenham Road near the junction with Cotham Brow.

From here, the ward is bordered by Zetland Road, Redland Road, Redland Hill, Blackboy Hill, Whiteladies Road, Cotham Hill, Cotham Road and Nugent Hill.

It is not particularly diverse in ethnic terms, but there are nearly double the average amount of people in the 16-29-year-old bracket, thanks to the students who are virtually an indigenous species in this part of the city.

As the ward is so close to the city centre, it's hardly a surprise to discover that a third of commuters who live in the area walk to work.

It wouldn't be a surprise, either, if parking was seen as a major issue. But the number of people taking part in a council survey who said they regarded parking problems as an issue were about average.

Cotham boasts a high number of well-educated people who care about their environment, have a tendency to buy organic or fair-trade food and realise the importance of taking exercise at least five times a week.

People who live in the ward are happier than average and are basically satisfied with life, according to the survey.

Surprisingly, most of them enjoy a good night's sleep – something you might not expect with so many students who have a propensity for making the most of Friday and Saturday nights at clubs and pubs.

The crime rate in Cotham is lower than average and the number of assaults on the streets are very few. Thefts from cars are average but the number of burglaries from homes is higher than average (18 per thousand head of population compared with 12 per thousand for other wards).

Most people – about two-thirds – feel safe on the streets after dark which is a much higher figure than most other wards.

Cotham boasts three schools – one secondary and two primaries – all of which produce very good results.

Cotham School, which enjoys a high reputation, saw 72 per cent of pupils achieve five or more A-C GCSE passes compared with a city average of 46.9 per cent.

Both Colston's primary and St Peter and St Paul RC VA primary both achieved Key Stage II results which were much higher than average for the city.

Many people who live in Cotham enjoy visits to parks, leisure centres and cultural events. There are not many venues or open spaces for them to use in the ward but they don't have far to go in order to meet these needs.

Latest figures show that the number of jobs created in the ward is about 3,400 compared with the average of 6,560. Nonetheless, the number of out-of-work people is much lower than average at 102, compared with 161.

Surprisingly, Cotham is rated among the bottom 10 per cent in the country for poor conditions found in rented accommodation.

This again reflects the high number of students in the area who often prefer lower rents for less salubrious living quarters.

Cotham has been a Liberal Democrat stronghold for a number of years and has every chance of remaining so.

Two years ago, the Lib Dems comfortably held on to their two seats while the Green Party had the next best results.

The Tories were the third highest party while Labour lagged behind in last place.

No doubt the Greens will be looking to do well again in the ward but if the Lib Dems were to lose a seat, then it would be one of the biggest upsets of these elections.