'People don't bother voting - nothing will change'

Kelly Maughan says she's unsure if she will vote

On 4 July, voters in Washington, Tyne and Wear, go to the polls along with the rest of the UK. The town is the ancestral home of the first US president, one of democracy's biggest champions. But with a low voter turnout here in 2019, just how engaged are people with this year's general election?

At the greengrocers on the main high street in Concord, there's fruit and veg of every party colour. Working here is Kelly Maughan. She usually votes in the election, although this time round she's not so sure.

"I feel like it doesn’t make any difference who you vote for because it’s all going to be the same, nothing will change. It’s just going to carry on the way it is now."

She says her parents have always voted Labour and believes that people "don't bother voting because they think, 'well, it's going to go to the same MP again'".

"The country's just the same way, it's not getting any better."

George Washington's ancestors lived in Washington Old Hall, not far from Concord

Sixty years ago, Washington was designated a "new town". It paved the way for modern-looking homes and infrastructure, while connecting growing communities to jobs.

Muneer Memon manages a shop which has been in business for 120 years. He's been working in the area for 27 of them.

"The cost of living is too much and people are really struggling day to day," he says.

His colleague John Ali says prices in the shop have gone up and "everyone is struggling".

"There are a lot of working class people and people on benefits - it’s really, really hard on them," he adds.

"I think people got disappointed with the system to be honest, everybody says they are all the same. They just lost their trust."

Washington shop manager Muneer Memon says the cost of living crisis has hit residents hard

At the 2019 general election, voter turnout in the former seat of Washington and Sunderland West was among the 30 lowest in the UK at 56.6%. The area re-elected a Labour MP. The national turnout was 67.3% of registered voters.

This year, a boundary change has created the new constituency of Washington and Gateshead South.

Phil Linkskill, who owns a tattoo business, believes voter turnout is low because people think it is a foregone conclusion.

"People often just follow what their dads do and what their mams do, and they think, ‘well, it doesn’t matter - I don’t need to vote because they’re going to get in anyhow'," he says.

Phil Linskill, who owns a tattoo parlour, says people follow how their parents vote

He says that, for as long as he can remember, "there’s no trust in politics among the working class, or if there is it’s rare".

Waiting for a friend along the street, Joe Jackson, 55, says he will not be voting and does not trust politicians.

"Politics doesn’t interest us, that’s why I don’t vote," he explains.

Concord sits just up the road from the historic village of Washington

In the fish and chip shop, 36-year-old Marie tells me she doesn't watch the news.

"I’m a bit oblivious," she says.

"I don’t follow anything, I just come to work and pay my bills."

But she says there needs to be more investment in parks and after-school clubs for teenagers.

"There’s a lot of crime happening and we don’t have any youth clubs anymore. You’ve got to pay to travel to Newcastle or Sunderland for them, there’s not a lot here."

'A broken generation'

At St Robert of Newminster Catholic School - the town's only sixth form - a group of 11 politics students say they will all vote when they are old enough.

Angus, 17, thinks there is less trust in politicians

"Certain members of my family aren’t as receptive [to politics] because the degree of apathy they have to politics is quite severe," says 17-year-old Anna.

Meanwhile, Ashton, also 17, says his peers feel demoralised.

"They’re just broken. It’s just a broken generation," he adds.

"You’ve got wars going on in the world, you’ve got climate change, global warming. The older generation don’t care about that, they care more about what benefits them."

The students, aged 16 to 17, spoke about their worries over the NHS, transport and the cost of living

Victoria, 16, says the NHS and education needs more funding.

"I’m struggling with waiting lists for things like braces and surgery.

"It’s not life-threatening or anything, but it is irritating to have to wait for so long," she adds.

Crime is the biggest issue for 17-year-old James, who says he feels unsafe.

Meanwhile, Ava, 17, wants better transport as she feels cut off.

Talks about adding a Washington "loop" to the Tyne and Wear Metro have rattled on for years, yet its future is still uncertain.

Teacher Rachel Bellwood wants people to use their right to vote

The school's head of history and politics, Rachel Bellwood, says her students’ enthusiasm for politics is not shared by the rest of the school.

"I think we’re very lucky to have such a fantastic, engaged politics class," she says.

"People might have the attitude that it is a safe seat, but there is no such thing as a safe seat in the UK."

Mrs Bellwood stresses there are opportunities for young people in Washington.

"We’re very close to Nissan and there’s lots of big employers here," she says.

"Unless young people are proactive in looking for them, you might not see everything that is there."

Full list of candidates for the Washington and Gateshead South constituency:

• Michal Chantkowski, Green

• Paul Donaghy, Reform UK

• Sharon Hodgson, Labour

• Sharon Louise McLafferty, Independent

• Ciaran Joseph Morrissey, Liberal Democrats

• Shaun Parsons, Conservative

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