Local elections: Voters rankled by Partygate and cost of living crisis

That’s the message from some residents who are still making their minds up over who to back in the local elections.

Thursday's polls will see more than 4,350 seats contested in England on more than 140 councils, including all four Black Country authorities and Cannock Chase.

It will be a chance for voters to have their say on local issues such as social care, bin collections and planning – as well as how Boris Johnson's administration has been doing.

National issues such as the Partygate scandal, the cost of living crisis and the Government’s response to the war in Ukraine are at the forefront of the minds of many voters as they head to the polls.

In Wolverhampton and West Bromwich some people still weren't sure who to vote for as polling day approaches.

At All Saints Action Network in Wolverhampton, Sukhvinder Bains from Penn was preparing to vote for the first time in a decade, saying that the Government's actions over the last year had left her furious.

She said: "I haven't voted in any elections for about 10 years, but I'm doing so this time for Labour as I am passionate about what Boris Johnson has done and I'm fuming about all the money spent on the reports about the parties.

"Partygate has had a real effect on me as I believe that if you're leading the country, you need to set an example and it's totally wrong that he was caught partying multiple times when the country was in lockdown and you have to ask how many times has he lied."

Local resident Daniel Roe said he wasn't quite as sure about who would get his vote, saying that he didn't know who would best represent him.

He said: "I get a lot of leaflets through in the post, but I don't know who to vote for as I need to know who would be best for me. I have voted in the general election, but never voted in the local elections.

"I would want to see improvements in the local area and I'm more concerned about cost of living as prices are going up and wages are not."

In West Bromwich town centre, Harbans Singh, from Guns Village, said he was preparing to vote Labour, having previously voted Conservative. He said he would prefer Sir Kier Starmer as a leader.

The 72-year-old said: "I've changed my vote because I think the Tories aren't doing enough with inflation and cost of living and I think Kier Starmer is more likely to listen to people and to act upon it.

"I also think he is better at talking to his MPs, so I'll go down the voting centre and vote for Labour."

Ahmed Hafid, who lived in the town centre, said he was waiting to see what the issues were before he voted.

The 84-year-old said: "I still don't know who to vote for yet and I want to hear from the candidates what the issues are before I do anything.

"I have been told about Partygate and the cost of living and I want to hear what they think about it and are going to do about it."

For Jamie Robinson from Wednesbury, it was the first chance the 18-year-old had had to vote in any election and he said he was still waiting for a party to stand out for him.

He said: "I would like them to give me a good reason to vote for them and give me peace of mind so that I am comfortable with who I'm picking to vote for.

"I'd like them to tell me about how they will deal with environmental matters and how they're going to fix the cost of living crisis, as well as seeing what party leaders are like.

"All of that would influence my vote."