High street and green spaces spur town's voters
BBCHousing and high street regeneration are on the minds of voters in Newcastle-under-Lyme, before they head to the polls on 7 May.
All 44 seats are up for grabs at the borough council, a contest which could see some swings in power.
The Conservatives are defending their control of the council and admit it could be a tough set of elections. As do Labour, who are defending fewer seats.
Both parties will be battling for votes especially against Reform UK, who will look to maintain their momentum in Staffordshire from 2025.
For voters, their concerns appear to be centred in part around the town centre.
Bringing footfall back to the area is a priority, for example, for high street butcher Robert Price.
He said the prospects for the market town seemed promising, with work under way to turn mothballed shopping centres and car parks into flats.
But Price said he thought the council, whoever ran it, could do more to help businesses and explained what he'd like to hear from candidates.
"Free parking, so we're in the same boat and competition as the out of town retailers, that's what I'd like to see," he said.
Planning and allocating housing is also a big issue up and down the borough of Newcastle, especially in the rural swathes of farmland when I spoke to residents.
Like many authorities, the council has to meet ambitious government housing targets, while balancing the needs of resident's use of green space.
This issue really matters to many, including Audley-based Laura and Tim Farmer, who are Staffordshire County Council farm tenants.
They rear sheep, cows and chickens and are passionate about promoting sustainability and food security.
For farmers like them, they said keeping local green belt land protected from prospective housing development was crucial.
Laura Farmer said in their five-year tenancy, they have worked to help the local environment thrive.
"I think the prospect of housing being on that, and that all being taken away, is very sad," she said.
These issues will rumble on no matter who is in charge after 7 May.
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