Oldham News | Most important news | The wave of discontent towards the major parties appears to be continuing in neighboring Middleton and Heywood

People in a ‘red wall’ seat who voted Tory for the first time in 2019 still feel forgotten, now they want a local champion.

Although political disillusionment is rife in neighboring Heywood and Middleton, the answer is simple: listen to the people.

If you walk down the main street in Middleton town centre, everyone you meet has something similar to say when it comes to politics: ‘they don’t do anything for us’.

The ‘they’ in question are politicians elected to represent the people, and the next general election is just weeks away.

Market stall owner Ken Burrows told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: ‘I don’t have time for either.

“They give you all the promises in the world, but they do nothing when they come to power.”

He then used the example of an overhanging tree behind his house and suggested that if that cannot be resolved by local authorities, what do you expect similar politicians to be able to achieve?

He believes the lack of ability to make effective changes starts from the top and trickles down.

Brian and Margery Thomson added that “nothing changes regardless of who is in power.”

The couple has lived in Langley for 40 years and claims they have seen the area go downhill.

“People are disillusioned, it’s a forgotten place,” Brian admitted.

“We want real shops again. We have nothing here.

“A Labor government would be no different (if they came in). We need something new.

“We want wealth to be distributed equally.

“These politicians all come from the same background, regardless of which party they serve.”

Although turnout at the last general election in 2019 was lower than the national average, the residents of Heywood and Middleton are not afraid to make bold choices.

They were one of the famous ‘red wall’ seats that first became Conservative with the election of Chris Clarkson five years ago.

The composition of the constituency has changed somewhat due to last year’s boundary changes.

It is now called Heywood and Middleton North, with part of South Middleton joining the newly created constituency of Blackley and Middleton South.

Despite a large number of locals sharing their dissatisfaction with national politics, there were some in Middleton who believe some of the key issues on the agenda are hugely relevant to their area.

As Nigel Farage has entered the battle to reform Britain, immigration has come further into the spotlight in the run-up to July 4.

Paul Ojus, a Labor voter, believes the former UKIP leader has stoked more anger towards immigrants – even those who came to work legally.

“I want more people from other countries to be allowed to come and work,” he added.

“If you have a work visa, legal visas should be allowed.

“There’s a negative spin on it. People like Nigel Farage have made the conversation more aggressive.”

Paul went on to say that stimulating the economy is another key priority that the parties should look at.

Vicente Abuhadba believes that decentralization would be great for the area so that they can have more autonomy over where the money is spent in their area.

Devolution has been a major talking point among political parties, with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority signing another devolution deal last year, giving them more control over how government funding and powers are determined in the region.

Vicente thinks this would be ideal as it could give local cities the boost they need.

“Cultural events, more of music and art, is what we need here.

‘We need more attention for the cities. We need more decentralization.

“I think smaller cities can have more say in what they need.

“We shouldn’t have to go to Manchester to pick up stuff.”

Vicente moved to the area last year from Chile, where he said city centers had not worked as powerhouses.

He said the majority of the population lives in the country’s capital, Santiago, because that’s where you get the best jobs, the best health care and the best of everything.

He fears this is where Britain is heading and believes devolution is the best solution to prevent it.

In Heywood there is a clear demand for a local MP. Many people we spoke to felt this was the best way to get the best for their area.

When asked what people thought of their current Conservative MP Chris Clarkson standing in the safe Tory seat of Stratford-on-Avon after choosing not to stand in their constituency again, many scoffed or looked unsurprised.

The lunch rush at KL Butchers has just ended, so award-winning businessman Karl Leach takes time to talk politics and Chris Clarkson.

“I met Chris Clarkson when I won that award last year,” pointing to the 2023 English Business Awards ‘best butchers’ certificate.

“We want someone who knows the people and knows what we want.

“A local candidate would do well in the region for people who do not feel heard. It comes down to what people want, and people want to be listened to.

‘These big manifestos don’t matter to Heywood. That won’t happen here.”

Karl used the example of the recent Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) proposals in the area, which include new signal-controlled pedestrian and cycle crossings, a bus and cyclist-only section of road and a new car park.

He said that didn’t make anyone feel heard, so why would anyone in the national government be any different – ​​unless they were from the area?

When asked what the area really needs, the butcher said: “You want to reduce business rates and make the town center lively so people can come there.

“People will shop where they want, but if they don’t choose to come here, they won’t.

“There has to be an incentive for them to come here.

“People want to see different types of stores, but they want other people to do it too.”

These feelings were evident as you walked down Market Street with Sheila Slater and Rose Bradshaw, deep in conversation about how things have been forgotten.

Rose points to the civic center and says “it’s such a shame.” She claims that the public building used to host so many great events but is now a shadow of its former self.

Rose said a bomb needs to be dropped on Heywood and started over to give it a fresh look.

‘You only have to walk through Heywood to find out what needs to change. Nobody cares about our city. We are Heywood

“It’s really neglected here. That’s why we’re interested in the independent candidate (Chris Furlong) because he’s from here.”

This follows a recent swing towards independent politicians in the GM region, with the latest wave seeing Oldham Council’s workers’ group lose overall control of the chamber.

At the local elections in May, Botlon and Stockport also lost overall control of their councils due to the surge in independent popularity.

Before that, independent David Tully shocked everyone when he finished a comfortable second to political heavyweight George Galloway at the Rochdale by-election.

All these recent events show a discontent towards the major political parties heading into the general elections.

However, Ann Barlow, who has lived in Heywood for all her 54 years, takes a different approach.

Although her inclination is to support the Green Party, she is choosing Labor in a tactical vote to ensure the Conservatives are not stuck in Heywood and Middleton North.

“I know who I’m voting for. Labor has more for me, but they’re all liars.

“I vote for the least bad. They have better chances and I want to make sure the Tories don’t get involved again.

‘Don’t we all know that it has been conservative here.

‘It can’t get much worse.

“But now nothing will improve for a long time, because these things take time.”

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