We visited the Birmingham area tired of feeling left out where ‘one thing’ could change so much

A frustrated man sighed. “We need change,” he tells us in an area of ​​Birmingham that has lost so much faith in government. Hodge Hill is one of the city’s most deprived constituencies.

Residents feel crime, speeding and littering are rampant. Labor MP Liam Byrne has represented the area since 2004, but residents say they are fed up with the party’s alleged broken promises. I visited Ward End Park on June 28 and found residents whose parents and grandparents voted Labour. Those residents now refuse to continue the tradition.

The visit also revealed how important Gaza is to the Muslim vote, with many residents rooting for both Labor and the Conservatives over the lack of action in the conflict. We asked locals about their pressing issues ahead of the 4th of July general election.

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The Hodge Hill and Solihull North constituency now covers Shard End, Washwood Heath, Hodge Hill, Castle Bromwich and Smith’s Wood following boundary changes. Mizmar, 35, said: “Youth crime, youth drug involvement and youth education. There is a lack of funding and there is not enough social mobility in Hodge Hill.

“If there’s one thing that could change this place, it’s increasing social mobility, and that can only happen through investment. Why isn’t the investment there?

“We’ve had the same people as members of parliament like Liam Byrne, the same councillors, the same party and nothing has grown. If something went down.

“Hodge Hill deserves change, Ward End should not feel this is its fate.”

Waseem Yaqub OBE, 59, did not hold back on his disappointment with Labour: “The failure of Labor to deliver anything for the last 25 years. A generation or two have voted Labor and people feel it’s worthless and they’ve been taken. to take for granted.

“We need to have a protest vote, we have the chance to be a monumental movement to show that the common man has a voice. Drug-related crime is everywhere, fly-tipping is disastrous, and the police aren’t here when you need them. The whole community is disappointed by Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.”

Local activist Abu Umaymah, 20, cited the lack of action on Gaza as influencing his vote. He said: “We have a lot of problems, including knife crime and gun crime, with a lot of young children falling victim to it.

“We have seen a huge cut in youth services and clubs, hopefully with this election a lot of people who are standing up will sort this out. We have seen many candidates get confused by the pro-Palestinian movement and it is important that when people are calling for support and a ceasefire, we have the right candidates to be able to address these concerns in a parliamentary position.”

Here is a full list of candidates who are in Birmingham Hodge Hill:

• Liam Byrne – The work
• Caroline Clapper – Conservative
• Qasim Esak – Liberal Democrats
• James Giles – The Workers’ Party of GB
• Imran Ali Khan – Green party
• Jamie Pullin – Reform Great Britain

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