By Mark Davies BBC News Online political reporter

It is the sort of place which the Conservative Party should control at a canter.

Elmbridge Council

Residents: 29 seats Conservatives: 20 Lib Dems: 9 Labour: 1

Elmbridge is an area which is Tory to its very core, with almost every town and village simply overflowing with wealth and prosperity.

Just a few miles out of central London, the roads of Esher, Weybridge and Walton-on Thames are filled with sleek cars and shiny four-by-fours.

Fully paid-up members of the Surrey set exercise their horses along the leafy lanes which dominate the borough.

Millionaires

Around the exclusive St George's Hill area, barriers bar entry to the private roads which lead to massive houses hidden among the trees.

Chubb has been a councillor since 1980

Sir Cliff Richard lives in Elmbridge, as do PR guru Max Clifford, TV presenter Chris Tarrant, and numerous other millionaires, the council says.

The glorious cherry blossom which lines Esher high street only adds to the profound sense of well being.

And yet, Elmbridge Borough Council is not run by the Tories, but by the Caroles, Ernests and Raymonds of six residents' group.

Strictly speaking, no party has overall control of the authority, but thanks to an alliance with the Liberal Democrats, the residents are in the driving seat

Dogma

Worse still for the Tories, one of their number recently defected to the residents in a protest over plans for a shopping development in Walton.

The strength of the residents' groups sounds like a refreshing alternative to party politics

Depending on who you ask, the alliance running the council is either "very unhappy," "shaky" or "satisfactory".

Whatever the truth, the strength of the residents' groups sounds like a refreshing alternative to party politics - local people fighting for local issues, rejecting political dogma for the greater good.

But it isn't quite as simple as that. Planning issues dominate local politics, and some say this is not in the interests of the wider community.

Those views, of course, come primarily from the political parties, who are understandably jealous of the success of the residents.

'Terrified'

But it is clear that much of the appeal of the residents' groups comes down to battling against planning applications.

Winton: Residents' groups take "Victorian" view

Elaine Cole, editor of the Esher News and Mail says many are "terrified" about the prospect of the character of their towns and villages being threatened.

There is indeed massive pressure for new developments in the area. With an average house price of around �300,000, the amount of valuable green space has developers licking their lips with excitement.

Except that in the residents, they have formidable opponents.

Take Gordon Chubb, one of the Walton Society's nine councillors, for instance.

Appeal

The reason for his involvement in local politics is quite simple: "If you are not in the council to bang the table you can write as many letters as you like - unless you are there you cannot do anything."

They are the single issue people and it is not the way forward

Graham Winton

The residents say it is their lack of affiliation to national political parties which appeals to voters.

"You have to care about your local community," says Janet Turner of the Hinchley Wood Residents' Association. "You cannot think about politics."

And council leader Alan Hopkins of the Molesey Residents' Association rejects the oft-repeated accusation that the residents are simply Tories in residents' groups' clothing.

"If I had to guess which way (my colleagues) would vote in a general election, I would not get it right," he says. "We just don't discuss it."

The other residents' groups with seats on the council are the St George's Hill Independents, the Thames Ditton/Weston Green Residents' Association and the Hersham Village Society.

'Blas�'

Naturally enough, the residents say their stewardship of the council has brought notable successes from cutting debt to reopening a local cinema.

O'Driscoll: Need for affordable housing

But Lib Dem leader Graham Winton says the residents are "blas�" about their position, that they take a "Victorian" view of the issues facing the council.

He said: "They have power because we support them. They do not recognise that - that we provide an enormous amount of support.

"They need to be more forward looking. They are very insulated. They worry about their own patches. We try to take a borough-wide view."

"They are the single issue people and it is not the way forward."

Elaine Cole has some sympathy with that view, saying the way planning dominates council business leads to a reactive approach to policy.

Eloquent

She adds that while the residents may present a "romantic" view of people power triumphing over political expertise, the reality is rather different.

If you don't concentrate on what the electorate wants, they are not going to vote for you

Tim Oliver

"They campaign on 'we are not a political party' and then they operate like one," she says.

Ms Cole says there are some good politicians among the residents - including some of the most eloquent and socially aware on the council.

But she says they also suffer from splits between the different groups, particularly since the council adopted a cabinet system of government.

The view among most councillors is that the elections on 2 May will not result in a major change in the make-up of the council.

'My back yard'

There is little sign that an election is coming up. The only posters in the area are not electoral, but appeals for help in the search for missing teenager Amanda Dowler, who lives in the area.

The Lib Dems say they are working hard on the election and are hopeful as ever. Tim Oliver, leader of the Conservative group, is of a similar view and hopes his party can recover a couple of seats.

Hopkins: "Residents have transformed borough"

Mr Oliver's concerns are similar to those of his Lib Dem counterpart.

The residents, he says, have "very much a 'my back yard' approach to politics and this is a borough and they do not take a borough wide view".

There is "no sense of policy" he says. The town of Walton, for instance, is "crying out for some investment" yet plans for what he sees as an important and sympathetic commercial development are being opposed.

So what is the lesson for the main political parties?

Problem

Quite simple, really, says Mr Oliver: "If you don't concentrate on what the electorate wants, they are not going to vote for you."

One big problem we have here is lack of affordable housing

Maureen O'Driscoll

In stressing the alleged failure of the residents to take a wider view of the area's needs, the main political parties all stress the need for affordable housing in the area.

Maureen O' Driscoll, who is standing for Labour in the election, says: "One big problem we have here is lack of affordable housing, which affects key workers.

"And young people born and brought up here cannot get on the housing ladder. There is a lot of private development and we really need more affordable housing."

Mrs O'Driscoll says that issue is a striking example of why a political party rather than a residents' association can work better for the area.

Care

"I think you have to look at it in a wider sense," she says. "We are part of the county of Surrey. I don't think you can just look at one area in isolation. There are wider issues as well."

People accuse us of being a ragtag bunch, but our policies have transformed the borough

Alan Hopkins

But Mr Hopkins denies that the residents simply focus on their own areas.

He agrees that affordable housing for key workers such as nurses and police officers is needed, but says the residents are addressing the issue.

"We show we care for the full borough, including deprived areas, which do exist" he says.

"People accuse us of being a ragtag bunch, that we lack a coherent policy - but our policies have transformed the borough."

Confident

To some extent, Elmbridge is a case of residents beating the Lib Dems - the masters of community politics - at their own game.

The residents believe they can make further gains on 2 May, and are confident they will remain in prime position after the election.

But are the residents really showing national politicians the way forward at a time of growing concern about voter apathy?

Elaine Cole makes an important point. Turnout at the 1998 local elections was just 33%.

"People talk about bringing politics closer to the electorate," she says.

"You can't get much closer than residents' groups and you would have thought that would make turnout better - but it doesn't."