What is influencing voters in the marginal seat of Cheadle this General Election?
Zoe Muldoon went to Cheadle and Bramhall to speak to residents and businesses to find out what they're looking for in the next government
The North West is set to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the General Election.
With less than three weeks to go, votes in a number of North West seats are sure to prove vital to the overall result.
One of those is Cheadle in Greater Manchester, where the Conservatives are defending a narrow majority, but Labour and the Liberal Democrats both believe they can win.
Cheadle fact file
It is a marginal seat between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats
The Conservatives won the seat with a majority of 2,336 at the 2019 General Election
Around 75,000 people are eligible to vote
The constituency comprises Bramhall North, Bramhall South & Woodford, Cheadle East & Cheadle Hulme North, Cheadle West & Gatley, Cheadle Hulme South, small part of Davenport & Cale Green, Heald Green, Norbury & Woodsmoor, part of Offerton and a very small part of Hazel Grove
Cheadle is one of Greater Manchester's most affluent constituencies.
Property prices in the likes of Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme have sky-rocketed over recent years, making the area as desirable place to live.
However, residents and business owners are feeling the bite of the cost of living crisis, and it is rising bills that are worrying people the most.
I met with Darren Shaw who co-owns and runs the Wobbly Stamp pub on the outskirts of Cheadle village.
He said that "everyone is feeling the pinch", including his customers.
Darren said he has kept his prices the same, but he is "taking the hit".
It's because of this, and a number of other reasons why Darren is choosing to vote differently to how he voted in the last General Election.
"I just think there's time for a change," he adds.
On Cheadle High Street, there are a number of empty shop units, and some have been vacant for years.
People told me that it's issues like this, along with the NHS, and even Rishi Sunak’s self-confessed mistake at leaving D-Day commemorations early that will influence their vote.
Voters had mixed views on who should run the next government
List of candidates standing in the Cheadle constituency
Alexander Drury - Green
Marcus Farmer - Independent
Kelly Fowler - Labour
Tanya Manzoor - Workers
Tom Morrison - Liberal Democrats
Mary Robinson - Conservative
Stephen Speakman - Reform UK
The 2024 race for the Cheadle seat is a re-run of 2019.
Conservative Mary Robinson beat local Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Morrison by just over 2,300 votes and now it's a major target for the Lib Dems.
A few miles down the road from Cheadle village in Bramhall, we met mothers and their babies at a baby sensory class.
Some of the new mums said the General Election, understandably, is not high on their list of priorities at the moment, and some said they would need to research party policies closer to 5 July before they cast their vote.
But I met Liz Brants and her baby daughter Lexie, and Liz has already made up her mind.
She said Conservatives’ plans to double free childcare hours initially appealed to her, and she would normally vote Tory. However, the primary school teacher told me she now wants a change in government.
She said: "It's depressing working in a school at the minute.
"I think we're ready to see what Labour can do."
Liz said her bills have risen too and wants to see how Labour get on in government
So with just a few weeks to go until the country decides, will the bubble burst for the Conservatives in Cheadle?
It’s clear that in this marginal constituency, every vote will count.
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