I visited poor West Midlands town where people feel they've been 'discarded'

Sandwell is one of the West Midlands' most deprived areas - and when we visited ahead of the General Election, some felt 'discarded'. We visited West Bromwich ahead of the poll and found a variety of concerns.

Standing on the high street near the local shopping centre and markets, locals voiced their opinions about the upcoming general election and the issues that affect them. Some said crime levels need to drop and the plight of elderly citizens who, they felt, were being sidelined in favour of younger generations.

The latest Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019 shows Sandwell’s average deprivation score as ranked 12th most deprived local authority in England, out of a total of 317. Derek, 61 said his main concern is the lack of support for the elderly, who he believes have been discarded after contributing significantly to the country.

Read more: All the Birmingham General Election candidates

"I care about support for the elderly, I feel like they've been neglected, they've made the country the way it is and now they've been discarded," he said.

When it came to social care and key workers, there was a palpable sense of frustration. Locals felt that despite promises from both Labour and Conservative parties to invest in infrastructure post-pandemic, there was an apparent neglect towards key workers.

Hofi Bafana, a 55-year old care worker, spoke of how he felt the Conservatives had neglected care workers' welfare in the pandemic.

He said: "Social care workers, looking at what happened during the pandemic... They are just ignoring what actually happens to most care workers," he said.

He added that in his view this is why systems like the NHS aren't working properly. In his view, focusing on equipment and infrastructure while ignoring long-term suffering people – those who worked during the pandemic and may have never recovered is a grave mistake.

Hofi also touched on immigration issues, insisting that charity begins at home. "You have to get back to the citizens, get solutions from them," he stated, suggesting that the UK should not simply implement what other superpowers want to do.

When asked to describe the current Prime Minister, Mr. Bafana said he was "out of touch with reality". He criticised him for trying to please everyone and suggested that he should focus more on addressing issues at home rather than trying to please other countries.

'Get out, please'

Valerie Granger, 68-year-old agreed and said the main issue that will affect the way she votes is the cost of living crisis.

She said: "People haven't got money to do what they want, and you see more poverty today in West Bromwich than I have done in years."

When asked about her views on the major political parties, Miss Granger was less than complimentary about the Prime Minister. Her three-word description was a terse "Get out, please."

However, she was more positive about Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party. "I believe that the Labour Party is our best way forward," she said. "We've got no other way to try."

Despite her support for Labour, she suggested that a new party might be necessary to address the country's problems. "The country's gone down that bad, I can't see anybody ever making it back to England as it used to be," she said.

As for what she would like to see in a political manifesto, Miss Grainger emphasised the importance of services for disabled people.

Frank Smith, 60, from West Bromwich, said his main issues were crime rates, disrespectful behaviour, driving standards, and the need for nationalised utility companies.

When asked to describe Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, in three words, Mr. Smith chose "sincere", "knowledgeable", and "honest".

However, his opinion of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was less favourable. "I don't trust him," he said, criticising Johnson's decision to leave D-Day celebrations early and his handling of tax policies.

The candidates standing in the West Bromwich constituency for the 2024 General Election are:

• Labour Party: Sarah Coombes

• Liberal Democrats: Gill Parmjit Singh

• The Conservative Party: Will Goodhand

• UKIP: Sam Harding

• Green Party: Gita Joshi

• Reform UK: Ray Nock

• Independent: Yasin Mohammed