"We don’t know a single councillor": Voters in Oldham have their say on the borough's knife-edge election

The local elections are just days away. Across Greater Manchester, voters will be at the polling booths choosing their local representatives.

But some in Oldham have a problem... they say they have 'no idea' who their candidates are.

“We don’t know a single councillor,” Christine, a Royton South resident in her 80s, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“You get things through the post. But you can’t tell what they’re like from a piece of paper. We’d like them to call in some time!"

This year’s local elections are shaping up to be tight. Labour is teetering on the edge of losing overall control. Just one lost seat could spell the end of the party's 13-year majority.

There are expected to be a number of closely-contested seats across the borough. Christine is not the only Oldham resident who feels lost when it comes to her options.

Though local groups and candidates have been busily campaigning online, and circulating manifestos, members of the public who spoke to the LDRS felt they hadn’t been given the chance to ‘get to know’ their candidates properly.

“It’d be nice to speak to somebody,” Dennis Scoltock said. “We don’t know them personally, we’ve not spoken to them.”

His wife Beverley agreed, adding: “You just get a leaflet and have to decide from that information - and hope they’re telling the truth.

“The problem is - it all sounds good on the leaflet. But you only ever hear from them when it’s election time. And then you never really see them follow through.”

For the couple from Medlock Vale, one of the major issues facing Oldham is supporting people through the cost of living crisis - and making the borough a fairer place.

Beverley said more needed to be done so everybody ‘gets the same level of access’