A generation ago, Conservatives ruled the roost in Cambridge, both in Westminster and on the city council. But support gradually declined until it lost its domination.

Local Tories are now hoping that success is within reach again following the surprise decision by Lib Dem MP David Howarth not to seek re-election next year. This could be a golden opportunity for the Conservatives candidate who is selected as former PPC Richard Normington is out of the race too.

I invited Eric Barrett-Payton, who has been active in Cambridge political circles for more than three decades and a former county councillor, to describe how we lost Cambridge, and what its future holds politically. At one time, Eric was the only elected Conservative city councillor and he is currently deputy chairman of the Cambridge City Conservative Association.

This is what Eric said:

My early memories of Cambridge Conservatives are when we had more than 30 councillors and were in control of the city council.

Our Conservative MP was David Lane who was then succeeded by Robert Rhodes James. Sir Robert was a distinguished historian and a very conscientious constituency MP who held regular surgeries, often jointly with me as a county councillor, as well as with city councillors. Over his many years of diligent service, he built up a substantial personal vote and his majorities increased accordingly – although Cambridge continued to be viewed as a three way marginal.

When he retired in 1992 the vacant seat was narrowly won by Labour’s Anne Campbell, who followed his example of assiduously cultivating her own personal vote.

During the 18 years of Conservative government in parliament, we suffered the traditional protest vote at local elections and began losing councillors. We then ceased to be the ruling group on the city council.

When the Conservative government ended, the general election results nationally were devastating, but we were still well in contention here in Cambridge, again coming second to Labour. Following such a landslide, it was naturally harder to maintain interest in political activity. The usual anticlimax after elections coincided with a general apathy across the country. Formal membership of political parties had become less fashionable or attractive. We were not immune from this trend locally and we found it more difficult to retain volunteers.

When I was chairman of our Local Government Advisory Committee, I proposed a revised strategy to help reverse this gradual decline. Instead of continuing, as previously, to spread ourselves more thinly everywhere, we would concentrate our resources, and target them where we had the most support. This was intended, as a temporary expedient, to assist the process of rebuilding ward structures and to increase the opportunities for electing Conservative councillors.

After some initial success, the policy was extended, but the results were less encouraging than had been hoped. Attracting extra volunteers also proved to be a much slower process than anticipated. At the first general election that gave the New Labour government another term in office, our candidate could not prevent us from slipping into third place.

Locally, the traditional protest votes were going against the national party in government, but not yet coming back to us, after we had been the party of government ourselves for a generation. Not surprisingly, it was the political party that was not associated with Westminster government that reaped the rewards of all the discontent with national politics.

Then Labour, in their turn, duly lost control of the city council. Eventually, at the last general election, David Howarth, as a former leader of the council, was able to press home that advantage. The student vote was also a significant factor. As an academic himself, he was well placed to capitalise on the widespread dissatisfaction with education policies and to mobilise sufficient support from the university community to win the seat.

Now that he is standing down before he has had enough time to maximise his own personal vote, the benefits of being the sitting MP will not be available to his party.

Meanwhile, Cambridge Conservatives are going from strength to strength as election fever mounts. Recent election results show that we are now the main challengers again in Cambridge. Supporters are flocking to us in the fervent hope of a change of government.

Only a Conservative vote at the next general election has any realistic prospect of achieving the desired change. Voters will recognise that only the Conservatives can form a credible new government now, and we believe that the voice of our great city would be best heard from a member of parliament who also represents the party of government.

Cambridge Conservatives are united in our determination to do all we can to regain the parliamentary seat, and to see Cambridge city, once again, return a Conservative Member to Parliament.