General Election 24: Cornwall voters know what’s wrong – but few know which party has the solutions | Political news

As part of Sky’s Bench Across Britain series, voters in Newquay say high house prices and rents, the cost of living and the apparent decline of public services are among the main issues in July’s general election.

The green benches of the House of Commons have been silent in Westminster and it is time for us, the UK, to choose who will fill them next.

So Sky News decided to take a piece of upholstered parliamentary furniture across the country to share your views.

We started our Bench Across Britain series in the West Country, taking our green bench down the harbor steps, onto the dark, craggy rocks and yellow sands of Newquay Bay’s Towan Beach.

This is where we found our first speaker, surf instructor Rich Holgate Smith.

“I didn’t get involved enough myself,” he admits. “I don’t follow Rishi Sunak religious. But I see what happens every day, like the way they live.

“The cost of rent has tripled in the last few years or the cost of food has gone up. And I see we’re losing a lot of the good things that made this country great, a lot of free services, NHSe.g.”

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The feeling that public services are in decline is a recurring theme of conversation on our bench, as is the cost of living.

Young couple Sophia Zielinski-Keall and Max Whiteley are on the beach walking their dog when they stop for a chat.

“I haven’t seen anyone come here to really see what’s going on CornwallSophia says. “Like house prices; they’re out of control down here. We were able to buy a first home and feel pretty lucky. It was hard.

“I know a lot of people who are trying to buy their first homes at the moment and they’re finding it very, very difficult, especially with the wages here. They don’t compare to wages in London and house prices are just going through the roof.”

Max adds: “I think we’ve both got good jobs, but the money seems to come in every month. In many ways, I was better off 10 years ago than I am now, even though I was probably earning 50% less.”

Second home owners driving up house prices for locals has been a growing problem in the region. Two Falmouth teachers, Frankie Baseley and Jessica Fenton, say the same.

“The housing down here – it’s just exceeded anything we can afford,” says Frankie. “We earn a pretty good wage because we’re in Cornwall, but going to a shop and doing like a weekly shop is so expensive!”

Jessica adds: “Then I think in the workplace, the budget cuts, the lack of resources, the lack of funding for mental health, especially special needs, especially school trips – like the cost of living is really affecting coach prices so we can’t go on school trips.”

St Austell and Newquay is conservative– he kept. The work they came second in both 2017 and 2019 and there was no UKIP or Brexit candidate in either election.

This year there are at least seven candidates, including one from Reform in a seat estimated to have voted 65% Leave in Brex referendum.

Labor needs a 14.5% swing to take the constituency. With that, evenly across the country, it would be on track for a 50-seat majority.

There are several constituencies for the Conservatives to defend in what is now almost a sea of ​​blue. In England, Labor and liberal democrats they have just two seats each west of Bristol – but are looking to turn the South West into a patchwork of red and yellow.

With 700 miles of stunning coastline, people here care deeply about the environment. A surfer sitting on our bench lamented the “amount of poo in the sea”. Other locals were angry with both main parties for returning to green commitments.

Transport is another issue, be it bus and train services or the price of fuel. Aircraft mechanic Richard Wooldridge says the cost of petrol is “crippling” his family.

He says: “I travel for work, my wife travels for work. I work away from home so I can earn a good salary. But now I’ve come to the point with the cost of fuel that I have to consider whether I continue in my chosen career or be a stay at home dad because fuel prices are so high.”

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Down in the harbor at 9am on a Sunday, Richard is part of a group of men who religiously jump into the water come rain or shine. A fellow Blue Ball swimming club member, Professor Matthew Jenkins, says for him “integrity” is the main consideration for his vote.

He added: “I think the fact that we were told a lot of things and a lot of those things never happened, we were lied to a lot of times, especially during COVID years.

“I know some of those things that some have found to be quite trivial, but in terms of integrity, they are actually very important and have made a big difference in people’s lives.”

Despite general dissatisfaction with the previous government and despair at the cost of living – there is no huge enthusiasm for the main opposition party.

Jessica, one of the Falmouth teachers, reflected the general mood when she said, “I’ll definitely be looking around at different parties and thinking.”

People who came to our bank seemed to know what was wrong with their lives – fewer knew which party had the solutions.