“It’s gone down the pan... drastically,” Thomas Beech says. He's sat nursing a can of Pepsi in Woodley Precinct.
“In the past 15 to 20 years this place has gone right down the pan, especially Mill Lane estate. It’s not what it used to be at all. It’s a no-go area sometimes - that’s not exaggerating.
“If you said you came from Woodley, people used to think you were posh. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore. I suppose it’s the same with a lot of places.”
The 60-year-old has lived on Woodley’s Mill Lane estate for 30 years. He despairs as he describes the decline he has seen over the past couple of decades.
“Some kids are feral,” he adds. “I have seen kids roaming the streets at 3am. That’s something that’s not uncommon.
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“There’s a lot of drugs on the estate now. It’s hard drugs as well. That was unthinkable at one time. I think it’s beyond repair, there’s nothing you can do.”
The Bredbury and Woodley ward has become a key election battleground in Stockport, with Labour pushing hard to break the Lib Dems' political stranglehold on the area.
This year sees the council's first ‘all out elections’ since 2004 - meaning all 63 seats are up for grabs rather than the usual one third.
The result here could play a big role in deciding who runs the town hall come May.
The authority is part of the Safer Stockport Partnership - aimed at reducing crime, substance misuse and anti-social behaviour - and also has a presence on the Greater Manchester Police Fire and Crime Panel. Despite his dissatisfaction with an area he describes as having ‘gone to rack and ruin’, Thomas says he won’t be changing his voting habits this time around.
“I will probably vote Lib Dem again, because I know that Labour don’t stand a chance around here - that’s how it has always been. I don’t remember the last time there was overall control of Stockport council.”
The Lib Dems have held all three ward seats on the council since 2004. However, Labour’s Joe Barratt ran a strong campaign last year, and narrowly missed out to Lib Dem Vince Shaw - who took 41 per cent of the vote to his 35pc.
But Thomas - despite being a natural Labour supporter - isn’t swayed. “No, I’m just going to go as I always have, vote Lib Dem - just as the councillors seem alright... the ones I have known the past 12 months.”
Fortunately for Labour - targeting the ward again this year as they look to claw back the town hall reins they held between 2016 and 2022 - not everyone here takes the same view.
Dave Carlisle, a retired civil servant from Bredbury, says he will be voting Red. "I’m voting Labour because I think the young lad that’s standing [Joe Barratt] is the future, he’s really good.
“I have always voted Lib Dem around here, but I would like to see him given a chance. He did quite a bit for the market in Stockport and I think he has a bit of ‘get up and go’ about him.
“It would be nice to see him given a go, I think he would do a lot.”
However, like Thomas, Dave also points to crime as being high on his agenda. “The main issue is there’s quite a bit of petty theft, like anywhere,” he says.
“Traffic is bad - they’re forever doing roadworks. And where we live, near Bredbury Hall, there’s a playing field but no recreation ground, I would like that."
Another voter leaning towards Labour is Gareth Evans, from Bredbury. “I do like the Liberal Democrats, but something is pointing me towards Labour this time,” says the 44-year-old barber. “I don’t think there would be a lot of change in any council.
“I have a property in Dukinfield [in Tameside] which is Labour and that is in the same boat. It’s a national thing, not an individual council thing I think, that's my view. I think it’s a lack of funding.”
A proud dad of two twins, he believes children need recreation areas that are fit for purpose. “In all honesty, I think kids need outdoor space,” he adds.
“They are doing a bit of work in Bredbury but it’s a bit of a mess. There’s glass on it a lot, they are not taking care of it as much as they should be. Kids need a place to go and it needs to be taken care of properly.”
Philip Hempstock, from Woodley, is in no doubt of where he will be placing his votes this year. "I’m thinking of voting Labour this year, because the Liberals have done nothing for this area,” says the 77-year-old.
“The roads here are unbelievable,” adds the retired council worker. “They don’t do proper road work anymore, they just patch things up, it just deteriorates.
“I think this area will definitely go to Labour this year. It’s like we’re the poor relatives.”
It’s not all bad news for the Lib Dems, though. One Bredbury woman - who asked not to be named - said they would be voting for the party next month. “I’m going to vote for the Liberal Democrats, I think they do quite a lot for the local area. If there was a Green Party presence, I would vote for the Green Party.”
Her husband, who also didn’t want to be named, also plans to vote Lib Dem. “I won’t vote Labour ever again and I would never vote Conservative ever again.”
Another resident who only gave her name as Carol, said she was leaning towards the Lib Dems. “If I was going to vote, I would vote Liberal Democrats. Lisa Smart did a bit of a campaign around here and knocked on our doors.
"What she said was good, but it’s whether they follow it through. "I tend to lose faith, I think she would but I have decided not to vote this year.”
She’s not the only one disillusioned with local democracy. Another voter - who asked not to be named - also makes his feelings known in no uncertain terms.
“They’re all the same, they don’t do anything apart from waste money,” he says. “If there was something to vote for it would be all right, but there isn’t - it’s just a game for them.”
The Lib Dems may be fighting off a Labour offensive in their traditional stronghold of Bredbury and Woodley - but they are also on the march in the Tory heartland of Bramhall. Both the Bramhall South and Bramhall North wards have been dominated by Conservative councillors over the past two decades, with other parties failing to get much of a foothold.
One of the most affluent of Stockport's suburbs, it was seen as natural Tory territory. But the controversies that have engulfed the Conservative government have dented support here. And, locally, the Lib Dems have played heavily on the Tory group voting for Labour to keep running the council back in 2021.
Their ‘Tory-backed Labour council’ attack line has done real damage with both former deputy leader John McGahan and Lisa Walker losing their seats to Lib Dems last year. Meanwhile, Coun Alanna Vine - standing down at this election - was expelled by the Conservatives in September for Twitter posts 'deemed discriminatory towards those of the Islamic faith'.
It has left the Tory presence on the council severely depleted - just four members are now left - and there was little sympathy for the party when the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited Bramhall to find out what voters had to say.
“I just want to get the Tories out, even if it’s tactical voting,” says Chris Lomas, stopping for a chat on Bramhall Lane South, in the heart of the village. Locally, I think it’s changing. I think I will go to the Lib Dems - I don’t think I’ll go to Labour, even though I’m a Labour supporter - but anything that gets rid of the existing situation.”
He believes local Conservatives will continue to pay the price for what he perceives as the government’s poor reputation.
“Even though you’re focusing on local things - I don’t think you can take away the national picture,” says the 65-year-old who works in publishing. “It just infiltrates your thinking.”
“There’s still people paying an awful lot more for their mortgages. They seem to have conveniently forgotten the disaster they created with the mini-budget.”
Another voter, Karten, also says she will be giving the Tories a wide-berth this time around.
“Why do you think?” she laughs. "Because the Conservatives, there’s that much going on with them, there’s always something, isn’t there?
“I’m voting for Labour, because they [the Conservatives] are all for the rich. It’s all about the money with them - profit and things like that. They [Labour] seem to be more for the poorer people don’t they? Sorting things out for the poor and making sure they are not being ripped off.”
That view is shared by hairdresser Helen Roberts. “I won’t be voting Conservative. I just think they are all a lot of privileged people that haven’t got a clue,” says the 58-year-old. “I don’t trust them at all.”
"We are very fortunate here, but there are a lot of people that are really, really struggling. I never go past now without putting some food in the boxes for the food bank.”
Lucy Marshall, a tax adviser who lives on Adelaide Road, is more of a floating voter.
As a mum-of-two, her main concerns is the cost of living crisis. She's particularly unhappy about the static child benefit payments threshold. Although not tribal politically, the 35-year-old says she tends to lean towards the Lib Dems.
“With council stuff you can tell there’s been a squeeze for a few years,” she says. “It’s things like potholes and that sort of thing are not dealt with the way they should be. Far too many budgets have been squeezed - you can tell things are slipping from what they used to be.”
Asked how this has affected her personally, she adds: “Thing are more annoying than they used to be. A lot of things seem a hassle that should work more smoothly than they do.
“Everything is affected these days, even getting in touch with councils is difficult. You can’t just ring them up and deal with a person. Everything seems hard work. These days nobody has the time, money or energy to deal with any problem.”
However, Lucy probably won’t vote in this year’s local elections. “I feel with council elections nothing really changes, because they are still controlled by the government,” she says.
“It all still depends on how much money they are going to get. You can have all the money in the world - but if you’ve not got the budget to do them, you can’t do them.”
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Tories, however.
"I would have to look into it,” Patricia France, from Patch Lane, says. “But I have got to give the Conservative a chance to see what he can do, because I think Labour would just make it worse.”
She wants to see more investment in Bramhall - and says it’s not as well off as its affluent reputation would have people believe.
“They want to spend a bit more money on Bramhall - a lot more money. Look at the shops. You have only got hairdressers and bars. No individual shops that sell food. They’ve got a new Sainsbury’s round the corner, it’s not enough. If you go to Cheadle they have lots of individual shops and it’s always busy.”
There is an argument, though, that Bramhall is wealthy enough and any spare money should go to more deprived areas.
“No, that’s rubbish,” the 68-year-old snaps back. “I don’t know what they’re looking at. You have got to go to Stockport or Handforth Dean to do your weekly shop. Have a look around there [the precinct] and see if you can do a weekly shop? If you have a family it can’t be done.
“I suppose it could be done if you have money popping out of your ears - but a lot of them are pensioners. If they could get something done it would be absolutely beautiful. I would enjoy coming shopping.”
There is some further comfort for the Tories in the form of Stephanie Tuckey - albeit the retired PA is only visiting from nearby Cheadle Hulme. "I will be voting Conservative. I always have done and the other two parties don’t do a thing for me whatsoever - I think stick with what you know really,” says Stephanie, 66.
“I know they have made lots of errors, but the others don’t give me any confidence whatsoever. I did vote Labour once, but that was a mistake."
She believes local Tories will have suffered due to the backlash over Boris Johnson and the ‘partygate’ scandal which tainted his premiership.
“It will be,” she adds. “He has done a lot of damage for local ones.”
Meanwhile Jeff Tuck, a retired computer programmer from Ashley Drive, says it's Labour that gets his backing.
“I’m definitely more of a Labour supporter than a Conservative supporter. I don’t vote tactically, he says. "If I believe in something, even if I know I’m not going to be part of the body of people that are elected, I want to vote for what I believe to be right.”
Describing himself as 'a socialist at heart', Jeff adds: “Having said that I would vote Labour, I think they are a lighter version of the Conservative Party. I was very much an advocate of Jeremy Corbyn’s policies."
However, he believes the Lib Dem council administration has done ‘as good a job as they can with the ideology they possess and with the resources - which are very limited - which they have'.
Chloe Francis, takes a different view on tactical voting, however. “I’ll probably vote for the Liberal Democrats to stop the Tories getting in,” she says.
The 30-year-old, who works in marketing, doesn't think the Conservative government is doing a good job - and believes that will impact on how people will vote locally.
Asked if she’s happy with how the Lib Dems have run the council over the past 12 months, she adds: “Yes, nothing has really negatively affected me from them being in.
“I think there’s some building maintenance that could be updated - I don’t know if that’s the council, but but I think there’s still some buildings that could have a bit more done in terms of making it a bit better - but other than that it’s a nice place to live.”
And she thinks the Lib Dems could do well again when the borough goes to the polls in May. “I think people are more inclined to vote Lib Dem to get the Tories out,” she adds.
Of course, that is just the story from two of the areas expected to have a big say on who ends up running the town hall for the 2023/24 municipal year.
There will no doubt me many other twists and turns. It still remains to be seen how the new Edgeley Community Association - formed by former Labour councillor Matt Wynne - will fare as they vie for all three seats in what was previously a safe Labour ward.
Controversies and splits within the Labour group also mean that Coun Andy Sorton will now be standing as an independent in Manor. The Greens will also be hoping to make it a clean sweep in Reddish South, having ousted Labour councillors there in 2021 and 2022.
Stockport has not been under ‘no overall control’ since 2010, and it is unlikely any one party will emerge with a majority at these all out elections.
Which party ultimately takes the reins at the town hall could depend on the alliances they are able to forge - and deals they are able to make - as much as it does the votes they can win.
Read more of today's top stories here
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