Residents of Bury South will be heading to the polling stations to decide who represents them on 4 July.
Who is standing?
In the Bury South constituency there are nine candidates standing for election.
Candidates include Labour’s Christian Wakeford who was previously elected as MP for Bury South in 2019 when affiliated with the Conservative party – but defected to Labour in 2022.
Those also standing include the Conservatives’ Arnie Saunders and the Lib Dems’ Andrew Page.
The full list of candidates can be found here.
Key issues
The Bury South constituency underwent a boundary change in 2024 and now includes Kersal and Broughton Park.
Within the constituency is one of the largest Jewish communities outside of London.
The Conservatives’ Arnie Saunders is a rabbi who has strong personal links to the area and is likely to be Labour’s biggest competition.
Labour’s Christian Wakeford may face questions from locals who felt betrayed by his defection.
The cost of living crisis paired with inhabitants of North West towns feeling their centres are underfunded mean investment is a key issue for residents.
Radcliffe was the recipient of £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund – many of the candidates state they want to see more investment in the Bury South area with some particularly focused on affordable housing.
Voting history
Bury South was traditionally a “Red Wall” seat with a Labour hold in the 2010, 2015 and 2017 general elections – although then-MP Ivan Lewis was suspended from the Labour Party in 2017 and sat as an independent for two years.
In 2019 the Conservatives gained the seat, with Wakeford receiving 22,034 votes compared to Labour’s Lucy Burke’s 21,632.
In January 2022, during the “partygate scandal” Wakeford crossed the floor and was welcomed to the Labour party by Keir Starmer.
Wakeford continued to represent Bury South until May 2024.
What is predicted for the area?
It is expected that Wakeford will hold the seat.
If the general election was tomorrow the Electoral Calculus predicts all the wards in the constituency would be won by Labour.
The Conservative gain in the 2019 general election was won with only a majority of 402, and prior to this in 2017 Labour won with a majority of 5,965.
Election information
The general election will take place on 4 July 2024 and polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.
You must be registered to vote and show valid photo ID at the polling station.
Results will be announced on 5 July.
Featured image: River Irwell, Radcliffe Bridge © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
