Life in the “left behind” Midland town, where more than politics needs to change

Just days before the historic election, I visited Princes End in Tipton, which according to the latest figures is the most deprived area in Sandwell and being among the most disadvantaged parts of one of the most deprived boroughs in the country has to offer some unique perspectives. about what might happen on Thursday.

Where does Princes End see itself now as it struggles to fight inflation and rising prices and stagnant wages that fail to cover even basic bills and doctor’s appointments are a rarity and many feel neglected and ignored.

I wanted to see if there was any truth behind the numbers and if they matched reality. Figures show Princes End holds the unenviable crown at the top of Sandwell for lack of income, lack of education and skills, health inequalities and exposure to crime.

READ MORE: Two ‘Britain’s poorest’ Midlands areas where people are staying awake worrying about money

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Tipton itself, of which Princes End is a part, is sadly in the top 20% of the most deprived parts of England – and, even more worryingly, among the worst affected areas for children and the elderly. Statistics show that men and women in Princes End live four and five years less than the average for England.

Speaking to many in Princes End, the past few years have been tough, very tough in fact and most can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. “Something really needs to change, but I’m not seeing it from anyone,” one takeaway owner tells me. “I feel like you could come ask me that in 10 years and I’d probably say the same thing. I feel like I’ve heard this all before. You can’t tell me I’ve had a fair shake of the dice all these years, can you? This is where it gets worse. It’s always promises, promises, promises during elections and it never happens, they forget us quickly.”

“Everything needs sorting – jobs, salaries, houses, bills, you name it. Businesses, small businesses like this, need support. It was dark, it’s a struggle.”

It’s not hard to find evidence that Princes End has been left behind, the pavements are patchy and the roads are full of potholes and the alleys and bins are full. There are half-finished constructions and patches of land that attract flies like moths to bright light. It is gray and weathered even in the bright July sunlight.

Princes End’s small high street has what you’d expect: a nursery, off-licence tanning and nail salons, chip shops and takeaways. It’s also home to the Tilted Barrel – the other famous Black Country pub – and the holy grail of a Greggs store.

But if anything is more emblematic of these times, the latest addition to Princes End is the relocated Murray Hall Community Trust charity shop from Owen Street in Tipton – a move boosted by the ongoing £33m regeneration project of deployment in the city center – paid for by “levelling” money from the government.

But the most pressing issue, particularly among the older people I spoke to, was the continued closure of Tipton’s Union Street post office. The post office was also due to move as part of the works, but has remained closed since the start of the year.

The shutdown has left many vulnerable people in the dark and cut off from an important lifeline.

Immigration and the “benefits culture” were to blame for Princes End’s problems, some said.

“I don’t feel like work pays anymore,” said one shopkeeper. “If you’re working, you’re at the bottom of the ladder. I think a lot of people get free stuff and benefits and houses and then they know it’s all going to be paid for. If you’re working, you’re just struggling, I don’t think it’s fair.”

There is evidence of political canvassing in recent weeks in Princes End, with posters on lighthouses asking for votes for Labor and independent candidates, but little else. But speaking to people in Princes End, it’s not a place politicians, and by extension attention and investment, flock to.

Those who went to the polls on Thursday had to choose a representative for the newly formed constituency of Tipton and Wednesbury. The border has retained the lion’s share of the old West Bromwich West seat last won by the Conservatives for the first time in 2019.

West Bromwich West has been a Labor stronghold since its creation in 1974 and was the long-term home of Betty Boothroyd, the first and, to date, only female Speaker of the House of Commons, before the Conservatives achieved a historic victory in 2019 .

Shaun Bailey was among a host of Tory candidates who took a wave of seats in the Black Country and the rest of the Midlands almost five years ago – turning more bricks of the “red wall” blue as the Tories cruised to victory .