Votes are not easily won in battleground election area

Knowsley is a Labour stronghold with the party enjoying uninterrupted control of the council since its first local election in 1973.

The Labour Group currently hold 31 council seats after last year's election, but unlike many boroughs across the country, there is no Conservative presence in the area and the main opposition comes in the form of the Green party and the Liberal Democrats.

Ten years ago, there was zero opposition in Knowsley with the Labour Party enjoying a clean-sweep victory of council seats. However, since winning their first ward election in 2018, the Green Party have made significant strides and currently have seven elected members.

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Furthermore, the Greens hope to increase their representation to 11 seats at this year's local election on May 2 and have targeted a number of wards where they hope to make inroads.

We made a visit to some of the battleground areas where the election races are too close to call.

One such place is Roby ward where Green candidate Carmen Escalante-Callejo is running against new Labour hopeful Megan Dever, after the present incumbent, Cllr Margaret Harvey decided against running again.

We tagged along briefly with Carmen as she canvassed some of Roby's constituents to try and find out what issues she was campaigning on and what local residents were saying about the important local issues.

The first resident we speak to is John Carroll and his daughter Sarah. When asked what campaign issues have struck a chord with him, John points to Carmen's election poster stuck up on his living room window. John said: I've always been a Labour man but they'll not be getting my vote at the local elections.

"At the local elections I vote Green as they're very visible in the area and I know who they are and they do a brilliant job. But at the general election, I do vote Labour but it's a different story when I look at my local area.

"You have to have a healthy opposition to keep the other lot on their toes."

Sarah echoes her dad's sentiments. She said: "I will always vote, but I'm not going to vote for voting's sake. I will look at what is being proposed and go from there."

As we move up the road, we're greeted by a friendly beagle who has run out the house, closely followed by his owner and Roby resident, Gary Smillie. Gary happens to have been a councillor in the past and was once a devoted Labour Party member, but left after becoming disillusioned with the leadership of Keir Starmer.

Gary said: "I appreciate the difference between local elections and national politics. However, I will still be asking the question to local councillors 'do you support Keir Starmer?' and if they say 'yes' I will not be able to vote for them.

"Locally, I think the local Labour group in Knowsley have done a decent job. This is one of the most socially deprived boroughs in the country, but there's things the council has done which are really benefitting the area."

There is some intrigue (and a degree of controversy) in the Roby election race after the labour candidate mailed out a flyer alleging the Green Party is 'working closely together' with the Tories.

Carmen completely denies the accusation and is puzzled by the inference. Asked why she thought the Labour group had published the claim, she said: "I think they're maybe a bit worried because I'm quite well known in the community for what work I do."

Carmen works with children and parents living with special needs and it's an issue close to her heart - as well as her election campaign. Her aim is to eventually sit on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Children's Services where she hopes to use her experience to shape future policy.

"I grew up around here, a lot of the children I work with are from Roby and I really do want to make a difference here."

We did contact Labour's Roby ward candidate to request canvassing times and routes but did not hear back before publication.

We leave Roby and head over to St Gabriels ward which is another close race between the Greens and Labour. This constituency is being contested by new Labour candidate Chantelle Lunt and Greens representative, Crispin Evans.

On the St Gabriels campaign trail we encounter a few residents who are keen to speak about the work of both Labour and Green Party councillors and stress the importance of seeing action when concerns are raised. These conversations focus on the more granular detail of hyper-local and borough-wide issues rather than any reference to the national political landscape.

One resident we spoke to spoke about his interactions with local councillors and was delighted with the installation of a new drainage system . He said: "I had an issue last year where my driveway kept flooding so I got in touch with my councillor who got is sorted. It's been brilliant ever since.

"To be honest, when it comes to local elections, I'm more concerned about who fixes the problems and the issues we have around here and that's who I'll vote for."

Next, we hop over to Eccleston Street in Prescot where two seats are being contested in Prescot North and Prescot South - the former having three Lib Dem incumbents and the latter having three Green Party incumbents. Despite the lack of local Labour representation, the residents we spoke to had very positive things to say about the ruling party as well as their local councillors.

Once considered one of the most neglected towns in the region, regeneration work and continuing investment have brought new businesses and hope to the area. In 2020, Prescot benefitted from a £3.1m heritage-led regeneration project which saw the repair, restoration and conversion of a number of historic buildings and spaces in the town.

This work was further bolstered by the 2022 opening of the new £38m Shakespeare North Playhouse which has had a significant impact on the area's cultural offer.

There are numerous cafés and bars open with numerous, well-presented independent businesses running along the high street. One such independent is, I want That Dress which is owned by Jane McNally - a resident in Prescot for over 20 years.

Asked what changes she had witnessed in Prescot she said: "I've seen a lot of regeneration, certainly after the theatre came to town, but there's still work to do I think. Supporting small independent businesses will continue to be important for the area.

"There's a great night-life vibe here with lots of lovely bars and restaurants, but I'd love to see more investment in the day time economy.

"The Playhouse has been massive for the area, but it's still bedding into the community - everything I've seen there has been fabulous. However, we're all on a learning curve as the area progresses and we adapt to the possibilities that come with all the new investment."

In terms of day-to-day life in Prescot, residents point to problems around anti-social behaviour, cleanliness and also provision for young people.

Bethany Jayne is a young mum living in Prescot. Bethany has committed herself to voting in the local elections but is keeping her options open and is waiting to hear all the policies before making a decision. However, as a young mum, her main interest is services for families.

Bethany said: "I think about what's on offer for the kids. There used to be a swimming baths around here and I know a lot of people were upset when we lost that.

"I want see some investment in projects which keep kids entertained and interested. When I was growing up we had a youth club and football and Salvation Army and young women's clubs. They were all important to me and I'd like to see more stuff like that around here."

Knowsley is a diverse borough with a variety of different concerns and pressures. Overall, there seems to positive engagement with local politics, an appreciation of the work done and an understanding of the importance of the local elections.

Like most areas, it is difficult to entirely divorce from national politics but there is a real grasp of what Knowsley needs and a genuine desire to see those concerns reflected in the candidates' campaigns.

This is one of the reasons the elections in Roby and St Gabriels will be closely run with no one taking the win for granted.

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