Godalming residents on key general election issues

Due to boundary changes Godalming and Ash is a new parliamentary constituency

As voters prepare to go to the polls in the general election we take a visit to the parliamentary constituency of Godalming and Ash in Surrey.

It is a quiet morning on the High Street in the historic market town of Godalming.

People are shopping, using the banks or enjoying a coffee in one of the many cafés.

But although everything seems fairly tranquil, this is an area experiencing a lot of scrutiny and media attention ahead of 4 July.

Godalming and Ash is a new seat which has been created due to boundary changes.

It is one of two that is replacing the South West Surrey constituency.

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will be standing as the Conservative candidate.

Labour, the Lib Dems, the Green Party, Reform UK and the Women's Equality Party are also fielding candidates

It is expected to be a close contest.

You can find a full list of candidates for the Godalming and Ash constituency here.

'Everything is a bit iffy'

When we visited, residents mentioned traffic, development, immigration, welfare and water supplies as some of the key issues.

We spoke to Tanya, who says she is concerned about what is going to happen to the town centre in the future.

“They are shutting banks like there is no tomorrow, and Godalming is not going to have a use anymore once the banks are closed,” she says.

“I don’t drive so obviously having to rely on buses and, because I have a stick now, if I have got to go to Guildford for the bank, I have to walk all the way up the high street.”

She also wants to see investment in schools and health services.

Ian Glassbrook, who is a pensioner, told BBC Radio Surrey he thought there were a lot of issues which needed looking at.

“All sort of services are being depleted. Everything is a bit iffy," he said, citing sewage and public transport in particular.

Godalming is a historic market town with more than 350 listed buildings

But Simon Usherwood, a professor of politics and international studies at the Open University, says many people feel the general election result overall is a foregone conclusion.

"People's minds are elsewhere, and given that a lot of people feel like this is a done-deal, it becomes hard to whip up enthusiasm", said Prof Usherwood, who lives in Guildford.

"The effort by Jeremy Hunt as Rishi Sunak's chancellor to cut national insurance, to move forward tax cuts, hasn't really shifted the dial.

"Partly, I think that's because of the view that the Conservative Party has been in power for 14 years and there is a time for a change, or it's that people are worried about public services."

Prof Usherwood said that after the recent election debates on ITV and the BBC, neither of the two main parties have emerged as a clear winner.

Residents will be able to make their views known at the ballot box on 4 July.