Trust, traders and a tired town centre as Leigh faces another telling election

In the Greater Manchester town where a Conservative MP and a Labour-run council lock horns, national politics is still at the forefront of people's minds.

The MP for Leigh, James Grundy, is infamously the first in history to turn the town blue after almost a century of red domination. However, this landmark win for the Conservatives, which came at the 2019 general election, has not since translated into local council gains. In fact, the last election saw them lose their leader, Michael Winstanley, from his seat in Orrell.

The historic coal mining and factory town broke tradition and voted for Mr Grundy almost four years ago, but now mistrust in the Government sitting in Downing Street could mean trouble for local Tories, residents have said.

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For some, when May 4 comes around and they have to tick a box next to a candidate’s name, they will be asking ‘who are they?' A lack of presence from local councillors is something that will be a big factor as to whether people vote at all, some locals believe.

Darren Fort, who was in town to do his shopping, spoke with the MEN and explained that he wanted to see more from his representatives. He believes this is what is leading to some looking at the national stage to decide on their vote for local election candidates.

“I plan on voting, but it depends what they say and what they’ll do,” the 56-year-old said. “This has not been well advertised or publicised.

“They need to put more stuff in the paper and on social media to get people more interested. I think people will vote to get rid of people rather than put someone else in.

“I think national politics will influence what goes