“They need shaking up.”
Distrust, anger and frustration at a lack of democratic choice are among the feelings of voters in Tameside ahead of next week’s local elections. When the ballot boxes open on the morning of Thursday, May 4 it will be the first time all 57 seats on the council will be up for election for nearly 20 years.
Theoretically, it gives a chance for control of the town hall – which has been run by Labour since 1979 – to swing to another party if they can drum up enough support to win a majority of seats.
Read more: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
Controversial issues such as the Godley Green garden village plans in Hyde, and regeneration projects for Ashton-under-Lyne’s outdoor market and Stalybridge town centre may prove to be pivotal in some wards where campaigning is at its fiercest.
But any major breaking of the Tameside red wall would require a colossal change of heart from thousands of lifelong Labour voters living in the borough, who have consistently backed the party to its current 47 seats and three MPs.
A reflection of the challenge is apparent in the limited number of parties standing this year, with voters having just three options in many wards – Labour, Conservative or the Green Party.
The Liberal Democrats have three candidates, while the Women’s Equality Party are putting forward one candidate, as is the Official Monster Raving Loony Party with three independents also in the running.
In several wards the Conservatives – Labour’s biggest opposition group in Tameside which currently has eight members – have only fielded one candidate, despite there being three seats to win.
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to residents ahead of polling day, many said they expect the status quo of Labour domination to continue, despite concerns about the direction of the borough.
For Jennifer Boff, 73, local issues have taken precedence, and she thinks the borough is in need of change. “The thing with Tameside is that most of it is Labour, and although I always vote Labour I think they need shaking up so I haven’t voted for them this time,” she says.
“I do actually know the local candidates and I think they could do better. For example they have got money for this project that’s going on in Ashton market.
“But it feels like that with Ashton and a lot of market towns they are taking that market element away – which is the bit we like. By the end you’ll only have half a dozen market stalls. The rent will get ramped up so much people can’t afford them, I don’t see the sense in it.
“Labour are supposed to be more for the working class, but I think they have lost their way, they have had [the council] for such a long time in Tameside and Labour are not taking into consideration people’s opinions. I think they need a shake up.”
“You don’t really feel like you have much of a say,” Katrina says in Ashton town centre when asked about her election plans. “They don’t always have anyone different standing in our areas, so it’s got to be Labour which gets in.”
She thinks her local councillors in Dukinfield do a good job, but finds the lack of alternatives frustrating. “The only problem is that it always seems to be Labour and we haven’t got any other option,” Katrina adds. “I don’t understand why the Conservatives don’t stand for it as well to give you another choice.”
In Stalybridge, former shopkeeper Joe Bridgehouse, 78, is firm in his opinion that the Labour-run council has ‘ruined’ the town centre, citing long-standing and historic issues such as the introduction of pay-and-display parking and the demolition of the former town hall after it was destroyed by a fire in 1989.
“They have trashed Stalybridge,” he says, adding he would like to vote for the Reform Party, but it is not fielding any candidates in Tameside.
Issues around parking are also a bugbear for a shopkeeper nearby, although she asks to remain anonymous. “I do feel for the high street to survive we need parking, spaces for disabled and elderly people,” she says.
“I’m unsure as to who I’m going to vote for. I will vote as people have fought for the right to vote. But I do think these days there isn’t that much difference between the parties.”
For others, their local concerns about whether the council is doing a good job have been overridden by their desire to send a message to the current national government.
Anthony Rider from Stalybridge has voted through the post – and he’s firmly in support of Labour. “They’re going to help more people, the Conservatives always cut back on everything even if they say they don’t,” the 54-year-old says.
He has concerns about the impact of changes to electoral law which are coming into play for the first time this election, and requires every voter to show photo ID when they go to the polling booths.
“The Conservatives know a lot of people haven’t got ID so they won’t be able to vote,” Anthony adds. “It is a big thing, you should just be able to vote once you have got the right papers.”
Asked about Labour’s performance locally, Anthony’s perception is less positive. “Stalybridge town centre hasn’t had a penny spent on it compared to all the money they are spending in Ashton,” he says. “It’s a ghost town, Stalybridge, there is absolutely nothing. Not even a men’s shop for clothing.”
In the Market Square of Ashton-under-Lyne, Michael Hughes has also already cast his vote for Labour via a postal vote. He says he’s fed up with the behaviour of the Conservatives in Westminster.
“I think we have had enough of the Tories, Now Rishi Sunak is in, I don’t think that’s going to make any difference. It’s all a bit c**p,” the 57-year-old says.
He also admits a tension over his support for the party, as his vote contradicts with his opinions over local issues affecting Tameside, and his home-town of Ashton.
“I’m not happy with the way the council are spending money on this area,” Michael adds, indicating towards the outdoor market. “Everybody complains about it because they are doing the markets all over again with a big canopy – that’s just money down the drain. What’s wrong with the stalls as they are?
“I think the council are making stupid decisions with money, especially in Stalybridge as well. Everything seems to be going downhill.”
Jordan Frost, 30, from Mossley says: “I just think when you vote for someone they do what they want, not what they say they will. I will be voting, I don’t know who for yet.”
For her national issues and policies are likely to drive where her cross is placed on the ballot paper, especially around childcare. Currently, it costs her and her partner £900 a month for their 11 month baby to attend nursery four days a week.
“I feel like a lot of people in politics don’t come from a working class background and it’s all false promises,” she adds. “Probably it will be national stuff, because local issues – you kind of just get on with it. Yes, there is vandalism and stuff but you just avoid those areas, and there isn’t much of a police presence but I don’t really think this is a bad area.
“The only thing we need to improve is more stuff for the kids. Even baby classes, there is nowhere free, you have to pay for them all and although they’re always advertising they all get fully booked straight away. But if you’re less fortunate and you can’t pay, then your kid is missing out. More needs to be done.”
For the majority of people stopped by the LDRS, voting is something they feel excluded from or have come to reject.
One woman merely laughs when asked if she is going to vote next month, while another rushing to get back to her job calls ‘there’s no point’.
Another non-voter, Jane Jones from Dukinfield, describes herself as ‘anti-establishment’, and explains it’s not UK national politics that influences her – rather Donald Trump in the United States.
She is against supporting the ongoing war in Ukraine, and believes Mr Trump would have been able to secure a peace deal. “I just think the whole system stinks to be honest.”
Asked about local politics, the 60-year-old says she’s more focused on hoping the former president gets back into power, as she thinks it ‘affects us all’. “I’m fed up with all the wars,” she adds.
At Stalybridge bus station on Market Street, Debbie Meehan is waiting for a bus. “No I don’t vote, and I think everyone has lost faith in everything these days,” she says. “The town centre is just a dump. The way the world is going I dread what life is going to be like 20 years from now.”
Polls open on Thursday, May 4 at 7am and close at 10pm. Under new legislation, voters must also now show photo ID when voting in person, as you will be turned away without this.
Read next:
- 'My son's vomiting was put down to a hangover - the next day he was dead'
- Tragedy of fit and healthy young man, 29, who died suddenly just months before his wedding
- Sticky floors, Ben Sherman shirts, Lynx Africa and cig burns - the 'cheesy' 90s night club people would love back
- Drunk teenager tried to swap seats after crashing Ford Fiesta on way home from pub
- CCTV appeal after robber with handgun threatens Post Office staff for cash
