I visited shopping centre and people worrying about more than what to buy

As people did their shopping in Wolverhampton’s busy high street, you could think they didn’t have a care in the world. Checking out the summer fashions in the windows or picking up the odd trinket, it was a pretty normal day near the Mander Centre.

However, with time ticking down to a General Election, residents in the Wolverhampton South West constituency were not without their concerns. They voiced dissatisfaction with unemployment and the cost of living among other htings.

Ian, 60, an electrician from the area said that inflation was the biggest issue for him ”Inflation is affecting everybody at the moment alongside utility bills and everything else”.

Read more: Town locals say has been turned into a ‘rubbish pit’

According to data released by the Office for National Statistics from January 2005 to April 2024, house price annual inflation in Wolverhampton has fluctuated. Ian also raised unemployment as an issue and said it is something he cares deeply about in the area.

Wolverhampton’s employment rate was lower than across the West Midlands as a whole in the year ending December 2023 with people aged 16-64 years 70.3% were employed according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is an increase compared to December 2022 when the local rate was 66%

‘Struggling desperately’

Bob Watson, 76 agreed and spoke about the current situation with the NHS and said they are struggling “desperately”. He said: ”The people in the NHS are brilliant and absolutely fantastic but they are not helped they are just being swamped by the number of people.

“It needs a different management style and more money putting in

‘People don’t have enough to survive’

Punvir Cheema in his 20s works in a corner shop just outside of the city centre and raised concerns about people not having enough to survive due to the cost of living crisis. He said ”I see day to day in the shop people struggling to get by and no one is out there helping”.

Punvir emphasised the need for more youth clubs, and more jobs for people in the area. On the choice between the Labour and Conservative leaders, he said: “Neither politicians are good, but I wouldn’t vote Tory even if I was paid to.”

Residents also gave their views on the political leadership with some having differing views. Ian, 61, said ”Keir Starmer is doing his best but it remains to be seen if he does get elected if he does something about the issues.”

The candidates standing in the Wolverhampton South West general election 2024 are:

• Labour Party – Pat McFadden
• Reform UK – Carl Hardwick
• Conservatives and Unionist Party – Victoria Helena Wilson
• Attar Ahmad Warraich – Workers Party of Britain
• Paul Anthony Darke – Green Party
• Bart Ricketts – Liberal Democrats