This place isn't what it was, say town's voters

"Is Walsall just a glorified service station for Junction 10 since it's been done up?" he asks, in a rhetorical reference to the developments around the town's M6 junction.

Like a lot of people, he is alarmed by the decline of the town centre. The empty shops and struggling market frequently crop up among people in the town, but it is crime and anti-social behaviour that seem to be the real bugbears. We have only been in the town for a few minutes when a drunken yob – just after 11am – threatens to smash our photographer's camera.

"The council don't do anything," says Mr Herbert, who is 41. "You walk down the high street and all you can see is vagrants sleeping in doorways, beggars and the shops are closing.

"Knife crime is absolutely ridiculous. We've got four community support officers standing down there together - what if something happened downtown? They don't have the power to arrest, and if they're all standing in a group, all that is doing is telling people to go down the other end of town to commit a crime because the coppers are all up here in the middle."

Of course, Walsall is hardly the only town to suffer an exodus of shops. Indeed it could be argued that with its own branch of Waterstones, a music shop, and a number of independent retailers, the town has held up slightly better than many of its neighbours. On the other hand, there is no escaping the slight feel of shabbiness, and even a slight tension in the air, as we chat to shoppers.

It is 24 years since Labour had overall control in Walsall, and that record will almost certainly be extended next month. The party went into last year's local elections with 20 seats to the Conservatives' 38, but gained just a single seat – from a former Labour councillor who had quit the party – taking its total to just 21. Had the party performed better, it might have given itself a fighting chance, but Sir Keir Starmer's stance on the war in Gaza has since led to a spate of resignations, leaving the party with just 12 councillors. Not even a clean sweep of all 20 seats would be enough to give Labour a majority.

Julie Weavill, 60, from Pelsall, is a former Labour voter who switched to the Conservatives the election before last, but sat out the poll last year.

"Last time I didn't vote, that was the first time ever, because I was really undecided," she explains.

"Last time I voted was Conservative, I was Labour before that, this time I'm a bit undecided, I will watch this space. I probably would vote Conservative again. I want them to do more and get it back on its feet."

For her, the big concern is the decline in the town centre.

"I don't like how they've let a lot of the things go, I mean I do shop outside of town, I do buy one or two things online, but I do like to come and have a shop.

"You can't beat being out and having a look round, but I do feel they ought to be looking at trying to invest more in some of the towns, they have let them go."

She says there is a need for investment in the town.

"I know there's been a lot going on since Covid, and I know they lost a lot of money.

"They've had to put the council tax up, and people are getting fed up with not seeing some of the services.

"Walsall used to be so vibrant, Park Street used to be so busy, I get fed up with seeing the shops boarded up, and a lot of the cheaper shops. I never thought the day would dawn when Marks & Spencer pulled out, Debenhams, Woolworths, Littlewoods, they need to try to help them have cheaper rents to get them in. The council ought to try to do innovative ideas with them and try to work with them a bit more.

"The council needs to look at Walsall and try and turn it round a bit."

John Brain, 86, is enjoying the mid-morning sunshine in Park Street. Will he be voting on May 2?

"I very much doubt it," says the 86-year-old from Bentley.

"I've got no faith in all of them.

"You get these councillors coming round saying, 'yes, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, but nothing ever really happens. You go to Bloxwich, it's a far better place, you go to Bilston, Bilston's a lot better shopping centre, the market's a lot better.

"Walsall isn't what it used to be. People used to come here to do all their shopping, but all the shops are shutting down, the main ones."

Mr Brain says he has no strong party allegiance, and has always voted for the candidate rather than the colour they are standing under.

"I'm not that bothered whether they are Labour or Conservative, it's what they do for the town.

"I vote for the name, and what they're doing for the town."

Neil Snook, 57, runs the Buenos Burritas hot food van in the town.

"One of the biggest issues is the increase in crime, anti-social behaviour, and the local economy, supporting local independent businesses," he says.

"I think a lot of it's down to the lack of a regular police presence, sometimes they will come in spells, you will see numbers, other times the place is completely devoid.

"I think that gives those who came into town on a regular basis to commit criminal activities, they don't feel any threat, there's a lack of deterrent.

"There's no fear factor for those who come in shoplifting. It happens everywhere, but it's particularly prevalent round here, it's the same with the dealing, people walking round town drinking around the street. It's the same people that drag the area down, drag the atmosphere down. I think that's the general consensus with people around here."

Mr Snook says his business is surviving, but it is difficult.

"Nobody's going to get rich around here," he says.

Mr Snook says he will probably vote for Reform UK come election day, citing the need for radical change.

"I have voted for all the parties before, but I haven't voted for a long time because it all seems to be from the same song-sheet, but with different names," he says.

"It's easy to be critical , I know they are at the mercy of the Government higher up the chain regarding funding and things like that," he says.

"There's a lack of visibility, I think there's a bit of a disconnect, I don't see many councillors shopping around here. It's easy to say can always do more, but they could certainly engage a bit more, be a bit more up-front, be a bit more clear on their intentions and what their policies are."

Deborah Haddock says she intends to vote providing that she can get to the polling station with her injured leg. She says she will probably vote Green this time.

"I used to vote Labour quite a lot," she says. "I quite like Keir Starmer, and hope he becomes Prime Minister.

She says public safety is her main priority locally.

"The important thing is that poeple are safe, and the roads are safe with all these potholes," she says.

"Look after people and one another."