Cabot ward is the heart of Bristol, housing its main shopping areas, nightlife, cultural attractions and local government.

With 13,024 inhabitants, it covers a large area from Castle Park in the east to Tyndall's Park in the west, Cumberland Basin in the south to the edge of Cotham in the north.

With both Broadmead and Cabot Circus it is one of the employment centres of the city, with 66,700 jobs more than 10 times the ward average of 6,560.

But it doesn't just have the big names like Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser, there are countless smaller businesses in parades that are doing their best to survive in difficult times.

Cabot is host to the majority of Bristol's cultural destinations, from the Hippodrome and Old Vic theatre, to live music venues like the Colston Hall and the O2 Academy.

Historical attractions are in abundance, with the ss Great Britain and Museum of Bristol among them.

Habourside is the centre of a number of Bristol's festivals and events in the summer, and further along Cumberland Basin there is still evidence of the city's maritime past.

From Bristol City Council to the University of Bristol, Cabot ward has many of the city's major institutions, and a number of its hospitals.

There are two primary schools in Cabot, St George Church of England Primary and St Michael on the Mount Church of England Primary, and three secondary schools, Bristol Cathedral, Bristol Grammar and Queen Elizabeth's Hospital.

Happiness in the ward is high, with 94 per cent of those who took part in a council survey saying they were happy, above the ward average of 90 per cent, and 85 per cent of residents said they were satisfied with life.

But its not all positive.

The ward is divided into six super output areas (SOAs), smaller geographical sections used to measure poverty and deprivation.

These are Woodland Road; Kingsdown Parade; city centre and Queen's Square; university and city centre; and Harbourside.

St James Barton is in the top 10 per cent of the most deprived SOAs in the country, and five of the six Cabot wards are in the worst 10 per cent nationally for crime.

Crime is a particular problem for the Cabot ward, perhaps not surprisingly as its the centre of the night time economy, and the liveliest spot in Bristol on a Friday and Saturday night.

There are 805 crimes per 1,000 population, more than five times higher than the average of 154.

Thefts from cars, woundings and common assaults are particularly high, as are the number of racist and domestic violence incidents reported to police.

Only half of residents feel safe outside after dark, but fewer people average people feel day-to-day life is affected by fear of crime.

One in four feel crime has become worse in the past three years, though the ward average is one in three.

Turnout at local elections is historically low.

In 2007 it was just 25 per cent, below the ward average of 34.

This represents a dramatic drop from the 2005 figure of 57 per cent, compared with an average of 64 per cent.

- Political forecast: The Liberal Democrats have a strong footing in Cabot ward, and this looks unlikely to change.

In 2005 Councillor Mark Wright won the available seat with 1,893 votes, or 43 per cent of the vote.

His predecessor Anne White polled more than 50 per cent of the vote, and in 2001 Victor Tallis had 46 per cent.

Each time Labour and Conservatives have taken second and third place respectively, so if history repeats itself the Liberal Democrats will have themselves another comfortable majority in June's election.