South London boroughs are clamoring for better transport ahead of the general election

The Sutton and Cheam constituency gained national name recognition in February this year when its then MP Paul Scully claimed that parts of Tower Hamlets were “no-go areas” and that some people were “not allowed to go out”. A month after making these controversial comments, Scully announced that she would step down at the next election.

His decision to stand down after nine years means his seat of Sutton and Cheam could become a close electoral battleground, as could the neighboring constituency of Carshalton and Wallington. All three major parties now feel they could take the seat, which was solidly Lib Dem before Scully took over.

Sutton and Cheam have undoubtedly grown over the past decade. However, many in Sutton are divided on whether these changes have been beneficial or not.

Read more: MyLondon’s big general election poll – have your say on London transport, the NHS and the cost of living

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited Sutton earlier this week to find out what matters to its constituents and what they will expect from whoever becomes their next MP on July 4.

Transport, or the lack of it, was a particular sore point for the Sutton residents we spoke to. TfL’s coverage in the borough, some locals say, is some of the worst in London, with residents often complaining it’s worse than neighboring boroughs.

Daniel Akakpo is a tram driver on the Wimbledon to Croydon service. He told LDRS of his frustrations with the absence of trams in Sutton, where he has lived with his family since 2003.

He said: “We were pushing for the tram to come to Sutton to make things easier but unfortunately they said they didn’t have the budget. I don’t think our transport is as good as Croydon.

“The tram would have done the people here a lot of good. They really need to step up on that.”

Strike concerns and poor service from local rail services was another particularly pronounced issue in the area.

Sutton resident Hannah Fields told the LDRS: “Southern is so unreliable, they are always on strike or late. If we didn’t have Thameslink going through Sutton we’d be mad.

She added: “We need more than trains here though. How come there are subways, trams and the Overground everywhere and we don’t?”

Sutton High Street is one of the longest pedestrianized streets in the capital and attracts many shoppers, even on a Monday afternoon when LDRS visited. However, many residents feel that the high street, once a point of pride, has had its day.

Dave Ramsay told LDRS: The high street seems to get worse the further down the hill you go. Just more empty shops and homeless people. We don’t want to become another Croydon.”

This was a sentiment shared by best friends Cathy and Nicky, who have shopped in Sutton for years. “We’re just in and out again now,” Cathy told LDRS.

She added: “Now it’s just charity shops and nail bars. I think they miss department stores like Allders and Debenhams.

Nicky told LDRS how she has recently started to see more homeless people in Sutton. In particular, she spoke of her shock at seeing a small homeless camp outside the big ASDA at the bottom of the high street.

She said: “We need more supplies for the homeless, I think it’s quite sad to see everyone there like that. It just got really tough.”

Sutton’s Lib Dem-run council is currently undertaking extensive works designed to upgrade the high street. This £4.4 million refurbishment will see the Council’s main offices move to St Nicholas Shopping Centre, which dominates the high street.

However, some residents felt satisfied with Sutton’s growth and were even optimistic about its future as a borough outside of London. Rodney Jenkins, who lives at the top of the street on Brighton Road, told the LDRS how he thinks the current Council is working to improve the area.

Rodney said: “We are very lucky to have the second longest pedestrianized street in London. As a result, the influx of all the new flats built will generate much higher council tax revenue.”

When asked about his thoughts on national politics, Jenkins wasn’t as sure, describing it as “a bit of a pig’s ear”.

He added: “I don’t like the foreign policy of this government or Starmer or so on. I will probably vote for George Galloway’s party because he is a wonderful orator.”

Christine Nardiello, lecturer in law and business, told LDRS that housing and property values ​​will play a huge role in determining how people will vote on the Fourth of July. Sutton’s appeal as a place to settle has increased in recent years, partly due to the prevalence of good schools in the area.

She said: “There are quite a few wealthy people in this area and I think it will be a big thing if they start talking about property. Especially if they start talking about applying property taxes to the size of your house.

“A lot of people retired here or came here when they were younger when I did, our properties went up in value not because we thought it would happen, but because it did. That worries me with Labor but here we are Lib Dem.”

Grandmother Danuta Brudka recently moved to Sutton from her native Poland. Aside from the occasional bus that doesn’t show up, she thinks it’s a great place to live and spend time with family.

On her way to catch a bus from the hilltop station, she told LDRS: “Very happy to be in Sutton. It’s very different from Poland, but I like that.”

The full list of candidates for the Sutton and Cheam constituency is as follows:

Aasha Anam – Green Party

Tom Drummond – Conservative and Unionist Party

Kingsley Action Man Hamilton – Independent

Ryan Powell – Reform Britain

Chrishni Reshekaron – Labor Party

Luke Taylor – Liberal Democrats

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