Conservative Party chairman and former Bradford Council leader Eric Pickles brought his campaign bus to Bradford West today.

The seat is number 76 on the Tory’s target list and Mr Pickles is the second high-profile party member to visit the constituency in a week, after Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling.

Conservative candidate Zahid Iqbal, alongside Heaton councillor Mohammad Masood, who is hoping to keep his seat come May 6, invited Mr Pickles to speak to constituents in Frizinghall.

Outside the community centre on Midland Road, Mr Pickles said the questions had centred on getting cracking on the hole in the city centre left by the mothballed Broadway shopping centre.

He cited new powers a Conservative Government would give to local authorities to help districts out of the recession. He said: “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing a Tory Government working with a Conservative council to sort out Broadway.”

In addition he said that he had been quizzed about selecting candidates from ethnic minorities and the party’s stance on the matter.

He praised the Bradford West candidate saying: “He has the makings of a good constituency MP and could have a very good ministerial career.”

To the supporters he added: “You are doing a lot of good work in Frizinghall to get a great man into Parliament and another back on to the Council.”

The group, followed by a large band of supporters, then headed out to doorstep potential Tory voters.

Mr Iqbal told the Telegraph & Argus: “The key thing in Bradford is that it needs a voice and somebody to speak up for the people of Bradford West.”

Councillor Masood added that they were confident but not complacent and that the pledge base had increase three-fold.

The seat is currently held by Labour’s Marsha Singh, but the Conservatives are hoping recent changes to the electoral boundary could benefit them by reducing the swing they need.