General election 2019: Politics on Honiton High Street

Acacia Ballard

Acacia Ballard says she often finds herself talking politics with her customers

By Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

On market day, Honiton's High Street feels busy and bustling.

A handful of stalls line one side of the historic Devon market town's wide high street.

Asked about the issues that matter to them ahead of Thursday's election, many of them say they are concerned about the health of the high street itself.

Geoff Tyson says one of the shops next to his has been empty for three years

Bookshop owner Geoff Tyson has been trading in Honiton for 30 years.

"The rents are high and the rates are high but then I think it is just a dropping off of the high street," the 71-year-old says.

"It just isn't how it used to be - it is all on the internet.

"The election will have an effect on the high street because there is a lot of doubt and people don't know what is going to happen... people are just battening down the hatches and holding on to what they have got."

Samantha Hunter wants business rates to be reduced

Another person worried about the high street is Samantha Hunter, 51, who has been running a hair and beauty salon in the town since 2003.

"We have to keep this high street busy, business rates have to come down and parking [which is an] absolute killer," she says.

"We have a town full of independents [shops]… Honiton has done quite well, but we have to keep independents in this town."

Frank Canniford says Brexit is the major issue of the election

Frank Canniford, 85, grew up in the area and has recently moved back with his wife.

He believes the town's markets need protecting.

"I believe you have to give everybody the opportunity to trade and the street traders are actually bringing people in."

But Brexit is the big issue of the election for him.

"Until they get that done forget anything else, all these other things like the NHS are ineffective," he says.

Constituencies in focus:

Running a stall on the High Street three days a week, Acacia Ballard says she often finds herself talking politics with her customers.

She says people are open and honest about their views, with climate change and Brexit often being discussed.

"I like to engage with all of my customers and listen to all of their views."

Ruth Lewis and Nicola Shilson say Honiton High Street and the cost of parking in the town are big issues

At a nearby bakery manager Nicola Shilson says she always votes but "there has been talk of people not bothering".

"I think a lot of people think that way, that their vote doesn't count," she says.

Tiverton and Honiton

  • Honiton was abolished as a constituency in 1868, prior to which it returned two MPs

  • The town has had seven MPs since it was reformed in 1885, with each serving a number of terms

  • In 1997 Honiton became part of the Tiverton and Honiton constituency

  • Neil Parish won the seat for the Conservatives in 2010, with a majority of nearly 10,000

  • In 2017 his majority had increased to about 20,000

  • Voter turnout in the constituency is consistently higher than the national average and was 71.5% in 2017

Her colleague Ruth Lewis is worried about the health of the high street and says many of their customers complain about the cost of car parking.

"The biggest problem is that we have all of the supermarkets where there is free parking so people can go... and park for free and do all their shopping in one place.

"The independent shops don't get a look in."

Matt Tippin thinks there is a generational divide in attitudes to voting

In the five years since he turned 18, Matt Tippin has been eligible to vote in three general elections and the EU referendum.

While the 23-year-old says he does not understand politics, he has been studying the parties' manifestos to help him decide who to vote for.

He thinks there is a generational divide in attitudes to voting.

"You hear a lot of older people talking about politics," he says.

"Younger people in their friendship groups, they are not really bothered about it, especially when it comes to signing up to vote.

"We don't get to do politics in school... I think young people are just (thinking) 'let someone else deal with it'."

The candidates standing in Tiverton and Honiton are:

  • Margaret Dennis - UKIP

  • Neil Parish - Conservative

  • Liz Pole - Labour

  • Colin Reed - Green

  • John Timperley - Liberal Democrat

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