The Royal Borough is gearing up for an election that could challenge the status quo in a way Windsor and Maidenhead has not seen for years.

The ruling Conservative administration is facing a major challenge from the newly set up 'the Borough first' political party.

The tBf party as it is now known was set up after a rebel group of Conservatives already serving on the authority broke away from the party leadership.

Susbequently non-party councillors Lynne Jones in Old Windsor and Wisdom Da Costa in Clewer North became involved along with with ordinary residents and members of Old Windsor and West Windsor Residents Associations in getting tBf off the ground.

The party has now recruited enough members to stand in 14 out of the 19 wards - 15 if you count one Independent candidate 'affiliated' to the Borough first.

The Liberal Democrats who once ran the Royal Borough but have seen their number of councillors drop to one are launching a major fight back fielding candidates in almost every ward.

The latest election will be the first to take place following a review that has seen ward boundaries rearranged and councillor numbers reduced.

Clewer and Dedworth West and East wards are expected to be particularly hard fought - as they are at the centre of an area only retaken by the Conservatives in recent years after two decades of independent councillors allied to West Windsor Residents Association.

West Windsor Residents Association has one councillor Wisdom Da Costa already in place but is fielding another candidate to fill the second available seat in Clewer and Dedworth West ward. The Conservatives already have Ed Wilson on the council and hope that their second fielded candidate will oust Cllr Da Costa.

The Conservatives also have their eye on Old Windsor ward - made vulnerable by the standing down after 25 years of veteran Residents Association councillor Malcolm Beer.

They are fielding two candidates one of whom they hope will oust newcomer Neil Knowles who is hoping to take Mr Beer's place as an Old Windsor Residents candidate. They hope the second will replace popular existing Residents Association councillor Lynne Jones.

The Labour party is also fielding candidates across the Royal Borough. But the smaller parties seem to be staying away - with only one UKIP and two Green party candidates.

Parish councillor Ewan Larcombe is standing for his own National Flood Prevention party in the newly created Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury ward, a poignant reminder of the disastrous flooding that decimated all three villages five years ago.