The people of Cannock Chase go the polls subsequent week, with Labour defending a wafer-thin majority. Will the get together grasp on? Mark Andrews asks clients in a well-liked cafe
We bump right into a seasoned ex-councillor in the centre of Cannock.
“I honestly don’t know how it’s going to go,” says the political veteran. “There’s that many paper candidates this time around, that muddies the waters. I don’t think anybody know this time.”
Looking at the arithmetic, it is not arduous to grasp the councillor’s reticence. While solely 13 of Cannock Chase Council’s 36 seats are up for election, the finely balanced arithmetic means that anyone of 4 or 5 events might discover themselves on prime. And given the unstable image, underlined by the beleaguered Prime Minister’s newest troubles, it might take a courageous man to name which method it’ll go.
Labour has run Cannock Chase Council for the previous three years, the previous two of them years with a slim general majority, which adopted 12 months in coalition with the Greens and the Liberal Democrats. The get together might retain its grip on the council, however provided that it holds all eight of the seats it is defending – a feat which appears unlikely if the clients in Hannah’s Artisan Cafe and Coffee Shop are something to go by.
“I definitely won’t be voting Labour this time,” says Jean Langstone, who has lived in Cannock for greater than 50 years.
“I have done previously, but not this time. They don’t know what they’re doing, they’re changing their mind all the time.”
For the Conservatives to achieve a majority on the council, they would want to win 11 of the 13 seats being contested, which additionally appears a tall order, at a time when they too are bumping alongside beneath 20 per cent in the opinion polls. And whereas Reform is anticipated to ballot nicely, with solely 13 seats up for grabs, it is not doable for the get together to take management of the council and not using a coalition accomplice – for this yr a minimum of.
And for people like Jean, this is presenting them with a bit of a dilemma.
“It’s difficult to choose anybody really,” she says. “I’m trying to think, but I haven’t decided, not really yet.”
Hannah’s Cafe appears to be a thriving enterprise, with barely a spare seat on a Monday afternoon. But the temper amongst the clients appears to be one of despondency about the state of the city centre.
“Nothing’s changed in the town, really, I mean we’re just desperate for small shops or something like that,” says Jean. “There’s nothing to encourage people to come to Cannock.”
A typical thread appears to be a £20 million ‘levelling up’ grant given the Government in October, 2021, to demolish the ageing multi-storey automobile park to create a brand new ‘northern gateway’ to the city. Little seen progress has been made since we chatted to voters in 2024, and persistence seems to be carrying skinny.
Ann Eccleshall, proprietor of Hannah’s Cafe, has few form phrases for the present administration.
“I work 14 hours a day to sustain a small business, the rents are high, the business rates are high, they are not doing anything to keep down the cost,” she says.
“You never see a councillor, you never see a Labour candidate, you never see anyone to who can give your opinion.
“Car parking should be reduced, or made more available, there should be more activities in the town centre. We’ve got a lovely bandstand that is never used. I have seen the town degenerate over the past 20 years.”
Customer Patricia Bates, 80, is hopeful that Reform will make massive positive factors.
“I’m disappointed with Labour, they haven’t done anything for the town,” she says.
“We’ve got a theatre that’s going to pieces, we’re waiting to see if that’s going to be saved.”
Why does she assume Reform would do a greater job than the conventional events?
“I like their policies, so I’m hoping they will live up to what they say. I think they’ve got good ideas, whether they live up to them is another matter, I like the fact that they are going to stop all the immigrants from coming in.”
Jacqui Guddacre has already voted by put up. She received’t disclose how she voted, however reveals she has modified from the method she has voted all her life. She too is involved about the state of Cannock city centre.
“I was born in Hednesford, and to come to Cannock was great when I was growing up, it had everything that Hednesford didn’t. Now, Hednesford has everything that Cannock doesn’t: Small, independent shops, a street to walk down that isn’t full of charity shops, or barbers’ or vapes. There’s nothing for us of interest, here.
“They need to lower the rents, I think that’s one of the problems, the rents are too high.”
Sheila Yard is undecided.
“I don’t know who I will vote for, I’m not impressed with any of them. I was born in this town, and have seen an awful lot of changes, but I don’t think any of them are good.”
Again, the closure of the Prince of Wales Theatre, and the decline of the excessive avenue appear to be the most important bugbears.
“They closed the theatre, that was terrible, and there are no shops. I can’t think of any of them that have done any good.”
Madeleine Richards says extra must be finished to encourage enterprise.
“Cannock was in the Domesday Book as a market town, it used to be that everywhere you looked around there were nice artisan shops, it used to have a reputation for being a little bit different, for encouraging people who had entrepreneurial skills, and I feel that is gone.
“All the shops are the same, we have these entrepreneurs who aren’t entrepreneurs.”
And, of course the closure of the theatre.
“They should encourage the arts, people used to go the theatre a lot, you used to have so many art schools, theatre companies, operatic societies, everything to support local creativity has all gone.
“We want the youth societies back, where the youngsters can engage, it’s their future.
“I think I will be voting, but I don’t know who for, I haven’t made my decision because I’m disillusioned.”
Her pal Jean Bancroft is additionally undecided and disaffected.
“I have voted Conservative most of my life, but I’m not sure where to go this time,” she says.
“But I shan’t vote Labour, that is a certainty.”
And that appears to sum up the temper. Labour may have its work reduce out holding onto management of the council, however who, if anybody people will flip to as an alternative is anybody’s guess.
