Shropshire Star

General Election 2017: NHS and Brexit top Shropshire Star readers' concerns

Health and Brexit are the main issues concerning voters in Shropshire ahead of the General Election.

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A Shropshire Star survey released today shows a significant shift in priorities since the last time the country went to the polls.

More than 1,500 people took part on the shropshirestar.com survey, making it clear the big issues that will be discussed when candidates knock on doors ahead of June 8.

The controversy over the Future Fit review of health services in Shropshire is likely to dominate the debate locally.

Health topped the survey, with almost four in 10 identifying it as the most important issue when they consider how they will vote.

Controversial plans to downgrade A&E at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital to create a single emergency centre at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital have pitted Tory MPs in the county against each other.

And politicians from all sides of the debate have criticised delays in making a decision on the future of Shropshire’s hospitals, along with an ongoing staff crisis that has seen some services suspended.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who visited Telford on Sunday, identified Future Fit as a major campaign issue in the town, where his party hopes to oust Conservative MP Lucy Allan.

Brexit was identified as the main issue by 36 per cent – a huge rise from a similar poll pre-referendum when only seven per cent saw it as a concern.

Shropshire’s candidates are likely to be put in place this week, with Wrekin Tory MP Mark Pritchard expected to be confirmed today.

Labour is set to announce their candidate to oppose Lucy Allan tomorrow. It also revealed Dr Laura Davies, who stood in Shrewsbury and Atcham in 2015, will stand again despite giving birth to her second child just eight weeks ago.

And South Shropshire Green Party co-ordinator Hilary Wendt will stand against Tory MP Philip Dunne in the Ludlow constituency.

New priorities for voters

Election fatigue, what election fatigue? With Shropshire Star readers facing their third national poll in little more than two years, they might be forgiven for feeling a little weary with the political process.

But our latest poll shows that people appear to be just as engaged about next month’s General Election as they were about the poll in 2015.

A total of 1,500 readers took part in our latest poll, an increase of 50 per cent compared to our poll in 2015.

And while the economy was seen as the dominant issue two years ago, it has fallen way down the pecking order.

The health service – no doubt spurred by the controversy about the future of the accident and emergency unit at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital – now tops the poll as the most important issue facing voters, with 37 per cent identifying it as the top priority.

This shows an increase of five per cent compared to 2015, when it was highlighted by 32 per cent of readers.

But interestingly, negotiations surround Britain’s exit from the European Union now come a close second, with 36 per cent of readers citing it as their biggest concern.

In 2015, only seven per cent identified Europe as a priority.

The economy was seen as the top issue by just 10 per cent of voters this time, followed by immigration which was identified by six per cent – down from 23 per cent two years ago – local government funding, on nine per cent, and education on two per cent.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn this week visited the Shropshire Star’s head office in Telford. The town is a target for the Labour Party as it is one of Britain’s key marginal seats.

And Mr Corbyn was very aware of the issues that matter to those he needs to persuade to vote Labour.

The leader was keen to raise the issue of the proposed downgrading of the Princess Royal Hospital, saying the distance between Shrewsbury and Telford meant it was important that the the county retained two A & E units.

Telford may be within reach of Labour, but the region as a whole looks set to remain blue, reflecting the apparent unease about the party and its leadership.

When readers were asked who was the most effective leader, the Conservatives’ Theresa May was way out in front, attracting 65 per cent of the votes cast.

Mr Corbyn, who came second, was backed by just 18 per cent. It seems there is no home advantage for the former Adams Grammar School boy, who grew up in the village of Pave Lane, near Newport.

The third most popular leader was one nobody in Shropshire or mid-Wales will be able to endorse – the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon, who received 10 per cent of the vote. Liberal Democrat Tim Farron was supported by six per cent – one per cent less than his predecessor Nick Clegg in 2015.

And, interestingly, the support of UKIP appears to have collapsed. The party’s Paul Nuttall received just one per cent of the vote, compared to 25 per cent for Nigel Farage, who was UKIP leader in 2015.

The figures suggest that people who supported Mr Farage at the last election now prefer Mrs May, while some who preferred Mr Miliband in 2015 now support Miss Sturgeon.

The results of the Shropshire Star survey coincide with national polls that show Labour making modest inroads into the Tory lead.

Three weekend opinion polls showed a rise in support for Labour, although Prime the Conservatives maintained a commanding lead ahead of a June 8 election.

The national polls showed the Conservatives remained between 11 and 17 points ahead of Labour – still enough to deliver a clear victory as she seeks a mandate for her plan to implement the result of last year’s Brexit referendum by quitting the European Union’s single market.

While Telford, which is held by Conservative Lucy Allan with a wafer-thin majority of 730, will be a key target seat for Labour, it looks like Mr Corbyn’s party will have its work cut out to break the Conservative stranglehold on Shropshire and mid-Wales.

At the moment all six seats in the region are held by the Tories, and our poll of voter intentions suggest that is likely to remain the case. When asked in the Shropshire Star how they intended to vote in the General Election, 57 per cent said they intended to vote Conservative on May 8. A quarter said they would vote Labour, while the Liberal Democrats are in third place on 11 per cent. Three per cent said they would vote UKIP, and one per cent said they would be backing the Greens.

And while the General Election campaign has yet to officially begin, it seems people in Shropshire and mid-Wales have pretty much made up their mind how they intend to cast their vote. Ninety-one per cent of those who took part said they had already decided, with just nine per cent saying they were still considering their options.

Of those who live in Shropshire district and Powys, 83 per cent said they would also be voting in the local elections on Thursday this week. When it comes to voting, it seems that Shropshire Star readers can’t get enough of it.