Redditch elections: The battle to reinvent a town
BBCWhen it comes to local elections, do people vote on national or local issues? It is a question many political experts ponder.
From the pressure these results could put on Sir Keir Starmer, to what the results tell us about Nigel Farage and Reform UK, as well as the other major parties, you would be forgiven for wondering if local elections really are about what is happening on your doorstep.
But in areas like Redditch in Worcestershire, where a third of the borough council's seats are up for grabs on 7 May, the word "local" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
That is because these elections come at a crucial time: An era where Redditch is attempting to reinvent itself in a big way.
The town is one of the beneficiaries of a government scheme called Pride in Place, with £20m being handed to Woodrow and Greenlands.
The scheme is being overseen by the council but local people will get to decide how it is spent - effectively a once-in-a-lifetime chance to transform the town's most disadvantaged areas.
Then you have the ongoing debate over how to regenerate the town centre, which has become quite a saga ever since a Conservative bid to demolish the library was scrapped by Labour.
Instead the town now boasts a revamped indoor market and ongoing public realm improvements - and an innovation centre is on the way, in a bid to reinvent the town as a place for emerging businesses.
When I visited Woodrow to see how people felt about the elections, I heard from many with strong views about what this area needed.
Sue Village, who runs the Cutting It hair salon, said: "It's too rundown and untidy in Woodrow, I would describe some of the children as feral.
"I just think there's nothing to do for the kids now.
"I've lived here 21 years and have ran the business for 16 years; I've sadly watched the area change for the worse.
"I think the money for the area is fantastic - if an area looks better, people take more pride in it. It just needs to be spent well, and spent sooner rather than later."
Dhillon Singh, who runs the Woodrow Chippy, said: "We all want to see the area improved.
"There is a drug problem in Woodrow - whoever gets [elected in May], they need to focus on bringing the area up."
Vera Norfield, a pensioner who was having a drink in the Woodrow pub, said: "Too many shops around here are empty.
"If the council can sort that out it would help. I haven't made up my mind on the elections, I don't know if you can believe what [the candidates] say.
"We get leaflets through but I've never been convinced by any of them."
Regeneration has become a hot political topic in these Redditch elections - especially in those areas set to benefit from the cash injection.
Mark Harvey, a Labour candidate in the Matchborough & Woodrow ward, said: "The government's been in power less than two years and yet £20m is coming direct to Woodrow - I can't think of a better example to say 'yes, Labour is working for areas like this'.
"It doesn't all happen overnight, there is no magic wand. However, this is a very obvious investment into the area."
But some rival candidates in the ward said they felt Woodrow's issues have been allowed to fester for too long.
Conservative candidate Juliet Brunner said: "We've had real problems with deprivation, with housing, with anti-social behaviour - and health issues as well.
"I do feel it has been overlooked."
Reform candidate David Meredith said: "If I get voted in, we will make sure improvements happen in the right places.
"It does need improvement in a lot of places. The beauty with the Pride in Place money is that local people will get to decide how it's spent - local people, charities, businesses, everyone will have a say."
Green Party councillor Claire Davies said: "It all really needs a shake-up, it needs a different approach.
"It needs to come from the bottom-up - what we don't want is people at the top saying 'we think this is what you need'."
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