View from the number 38 bus as polling day nears
BBCIt is a cool and cloudy day at Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station as passengers begin to board the number 38 to Kidsgrove.
In a week's time, people from both towns will go to the polls to decide who will run Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.
The bellwether north Staffordshire borough is often seen as a political barometer when it comes to how the country is feeling.
If the views of people riding the number 38 are anything to go by, then those feelings could be described as frustrated and indifferent.
As we pull out of the station, a couple with a pram say they're upset with the government and that means they are considering backing Reform UK locally.
"[Nationally] Labour have done a terrible job. Reform are against Digital ID and immigration is a big problem," the young father says, his partner agreeing.
We pass Castle House, the town's relatively new council headquarters and library, opposite the blooming Queens Gardens.
The Tories retained control of the authority in 2022 - but before that the council was hung and for a number of years it has been neck-and-neck with Labour.
Game on
Insiders have told me a hung council could be a reality again in a week's time, but like many other parts of the country it is no longer a two-horse party race.
Reform is targeting several seats in the north of the borough, hoping to emulate the success of 2025 when it seized control of Staffordshire County Council.
But Tory sources say Reform's high water mark has subsided - and voters should back them because of their successful reign of the borough in recent years.
Meanwhile, in past years many living in former mining areas have never ticked anything but Labour.
We stop at London Road. There are two takeaways, an illuminated vape shop, a barbers and tanning salon and a traditional Staffordshire oatcake shop.
A man from Crackley gets on and tells me he's a grandfather and former miner.
A swing voter, he says migrants arriving illegally on small boats are a big issue on his mind but he doesn't have much confidence in any political party to stop it.
"I've always voted Labour or Conservative, all my life," he said. He's not sure where his vote will go this time.
He despairs for his grandchildren and their future - when he was a lad he had the county's mining and pottery industry to fall back on.
"When I was 15, I left school, and went down the pits. And there was potbanks, now what have they got?
"I don't think it will make much difference who gets in."
Broken promises
As the Chesterton estate draws closer, some St George's flags and union jacks are dotted around, some being flown from residents' gardens.
The road stretches out into green space and the handrails come in handy as we negotiate the potholes around Loomer Road roundabout.
We head into Talke, pass another landmark, the Toby Carvery and the rolling hills of the Cheshire border come into view.
Liz, from Kidsgrove, along with Diego, her miniature daschund, are onboard.
She doesn't feel too confident about local or national politicians either.
"They're all idiots," she tells me, laughing. "They all promise and say things that they don't do."
The council, she says, aren't doing enough to clean up the alleyway next to her home.
"There's dog poo, there's glass, there's needles, there's rubbish from the shop behind," she says.
She's also fighting for support for her daughter, who has special educational needs, and thinks the government are seriously lacking in this area.
In Kidsgrove, the streets are quiet. There isn't much of a traditional high street here.
Pensioners tell me the closure of both banks and the post office have ripped the soul out of the town.
A woman at a bus stop says she's "binned" all the election leaflets that have been posted through her letterbox.
She's fed up with the traditional parties. So what will she do instead?
"Hold my nose, and vote for Reform," she says, before hopping on the 103 towards Hanley.
Waiting for the 39 back to Newcastle is Margaret, who says she feels very disillusioned and does not know who to vote for.
"They all say things, and then when they get in, they don't do anything," she says.
The Conservatives insist they are ones to get things done, and say they will keep council tax low and continue focusing on regeneration projects.
Labour want to put Newcastle at the forefront in services and provisions they provide and argue the area deserves a visible and active team of councillors.
Reform are confident they can win and say if they do get into power they would focus on "bread and butter" priorities like allocating Town Deal funding, tackling anti-social behaviour and putting together the local housing plan.
The Green Party is fielding candidates for half the 44 seats - more than ever in this part of the world - and say they want to look at improving public transport and protect green spaces from development.
The real test is just seven days away.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
