Makerfield voters see cost of living and high street among top priorities, poll shows

Exclusive: Voters value changes ‘so we can afford to actually have a life’, as well as immigration policy and honesty in politicians

Voters in Makerfield rank the cost of living, declining high streets and public services as among the most important issues locally, with many also disillusioned by the political system and distrustful of politicians, according to research.

The findings – shared exclusively with the Guardian – come from a focus group commissioned by 38 Degrees and carried out by JL Partners. The fieldwork took place roughly two weeks before the byelection on 18 June, when the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, is hoping to see off a challenge from Reform UK.

In the poll, 112 residents of the Greater Manchester constituency were asked six open-ended questions which included their views on areas and changes they wanted prioritised, whether politicians should be bold or cautious, and what their message would be to their new MP.

More than a third of people across party preference, age and gender spontaneously brought up the cost of living when asked what changes would make life for them and their families better.

Respondents frequently mentioned the cost of household bills, food and fuel, lowering council tax, and the need for affordable housing, with one saying the cost of living needed to come down “so that we can afford to actually have a life”.

At the last general election 31.2% of the respondents had voted Labour and 30.4% Reform UK; 10.7% had voted Green and the same number Conservative, 3.6% had been Liberal Democrat voters, and 13.4% had voted for other parties.

When asked what issues their new MP should prioritise, three in 10 talked about fixing the local environment and public services, including high streets, roads and potholes, and access to NHS services. Immigration was raised as a priority for the new MP by about one in eight, with the issue particularly pertinent among Reform voters.

The respondents also said they wanted to see boldness from politicians, because “what we are doing isn’t working”.

One Reform UK voter, in the 55-plus age-group, said she wanted to see “a better local high street which can thrive and support local farmers and businesses instead of barbers, vape shops and mini markets”.

A Labour voter, in the 34-55 age-group, said her priority would be costs, including of food and petrol, and council tax decreasing “instead of continuing to go up”, adding: “I can barely survive.”

Another female Reform voter, 55-plus, said “immigration and local housing for local people and not immigrants” should be prioritised, “because all the social housing is going to immigrants and not our people who have been on the housing waiting list for years”.

Tom Lubbock, a co-founder of JL Partners, said: “Makerfield was a great seat for Andy Burnham to choose as it’s a snapshot of the country in miniature. Voters here care about the cost of living and aren’t asking for the Earth; they want the high street to work, their bills to come down, and a politician who tells the truth and sticks around after polling day.”

Lubbock said Burnham was “cutting both ways” in Makerfield. “For some he’s a prime minister-in-waiting worth voting for, for others the seat is being treated as a stepping stone rather than a constituency,” he said.

Another key theme voters brought up was honesty from politicians and distrust in the political system in general. One Labour voter, 55-plus, said he wanted to see “more honesty, less donations from wealthy business owners hoping to influence policy”, and to see politicians “work for the voters rather than trying to increase their own wealth”.

Lubbock said: “The party that convinces Makerfield it will actually do what it says, rather than say what it takes to win, is the one that wins here and nationally.”

Veronica Hawking, the campaigns director at 38 Degrees, said: “Makerfield voters are sending a crystal-clear message to whoever their next MP is: we are real people, not just numbers on a page.

“Families here are under immense pressure from a relentless cost of living crisis, and they are completely exhausted by a political system they feel is broken and self-serving. Their feelings echo those of voters right across the country, who urgently want to see that politics cleaned up.”

Voters wanted “more money left at the end of month, better NHS services, and improvements to their local community”, she said. “And above all, they want an MP for Makerfield who they can trust, and who will deliver on their promise.”