Tamworth by-election: ‘We want an MP who is visible’

Residents in the Tamworth constituency talked to the BBC about the upcoming by-election

People who live in the Tamworth constituency have told the BBC they want an MP who is visible and would listen to their concerns.

A parliamentary by-election is due to be held on 19 October after the resignation of Chris Pincher.

He stepped down after losing an appeal against a proposed Commons suspension for drunkenly groping two men.

Potential voters in the area told the BBC they want his replacement to be interested in local concerns.

Outside the gates of Three Peaks Primary Academy, about 120 people wait patiently, empty shopping bags in hand.

• The candidates standing to become Tamworth's MP

The Tamworth Pantry, a mobile charity offering free and fresh food, had just pulled in and was about to open its doors.

It was Thursday and the bus was stocked with fresh veg, rice, pulses and fresh milk.

"The next Tamworth MP needs to come and see this," said pantry volunteer Rob Bowker. "Look at the queues and you can't deny the need is huge".

Rob Bowker wanted the next MP for Tamworth to see the queues for food handouts

The numbers have grown in recent months, the charity said, as many families in Glascote Heath and Wilnecote struggled with rising prices.

Jamie Whale, a mother-of-five, came to top-up her weekly food shop with produce donated by local supermarkets.

She wanted Tamworth's next MP to support young families with access to affordable childcare.

"Nursery costs are absolutely ridiculous. A day for my daughter is between £50 and £60 and my wages are £68 a day," she told me.

Jamie Whale wanted the next MP to support families with affordable childcare

"Sally", who did not want to give her real name, said she had had little choice but to call on the support of local charities like Tamworth Pantry after her husband's taxi business folded unexpectedly.

"I don't work and I don't get a pension until next year. There is no help for us," she said.

"In government, and locally, there needs to be a change.

"They just need to stop looking after the rich and look after the underbelly of society because we're all down here propping them all up."

Liz Wadsworth believed people have become "disenfranchised with politics"

The Tamworth by-election opened new conversations in this town.

One word that kept cropping up was "visibility" and people told me they want an MP to get out, meet people and listen to them.

"Tamworth needs an MP that will get to know the residents, particularly families with school age children," said Liz Wadsworth, who managed Tamworth Pantry.

"People are disenfranchised [with politics] and I don't really think it would matter which party won the by-election as long as they get involved with the people."

Catherine Smith said the next MP for Tamworth had to be "more visible"

At the Sacred Heart Church, Glascote Heath, more than 40 local organisations have been brought under one roof.

The centre's café buzzed with talk of who the next MP might be and here, they wanted whoever that might be to know what mattered in Wilnecote not Westminster.

"The MP needs to be much more visible. There has to be a focus on tackling social isolation and loneliness," said Catherine Smith, chair of community charity Heart of Tamworth.

"They need to understand the issues people are facing. We have people here who are in work but it's precarious or marginal in nature.

"If their rent or mortgage payments have gone up, they're finding it really difficult to balance the books and I'm not sure politicians of all calibre understand that".

Alison Allerson said people in Tamworth want to be listened to

Among the organisations who use this communal space is SARAC, the Sexual Abuse and Rape Advice Centre.

The group worked for almost three decades with a base in Burton-upon-Trent but found nearly half of its referrals now came from Tamworth.

It supports people from the age of 11 into adulthood who have experienced sexual abuse or exploitation.

But funding is uncertain and another "bricks and mortar" home too costly.

"The demand is so great - we really need a permanent place in Tamworth," said Alison Allerson, from SARAC.

"If we could have someone who would just listen to us and reflect our views in parliament…so our voice can be heard and that will be how we start to change policy to address escalating sexual violence."