'For once, this is about us': The people of Makerfield tell us what matters ahead of seismic by-election

In a handful of former mining towns and villages in north-west England, there is a lot of frustration with the state of the UK. "Britain is broken," "we are forgotten," and calls for "change" are common refrains in the Makerfield constituency, where voters go to the polls on June 18 in what has become the most consequential by-election in decades.

A constituency that made up 0.1% of voters at the last general election is not only picking a new MP. Voters here are also potentially choosing the next prime minister.

What are the local issues?

In Bickershaw, an illegal dump has been piling up since late 2024. Despite complaints, a fire at the site last summer, and a criminal investigation, the mountain of waste remains.

Nicha Rowson, who lives nearby with her husband and two children, has had to deal with severe rat infestations. "The rats were a big thing," she said, sitting below what is left of her kitchen ceiling, which was largely removed to deal with the problem. She feels the mess is a symbol of a country where "human beings aren't a priority."

In Platt Bridge, Dawn Royds has suffered severe flooding twice in a decade. In 2015, she was told it was a one-off. On New Year's Day last year, she woke to blue flashing lights. "The kids had been playing with some toys the night before and they were just floating about," she said. "That was what got me."

She is convinced it will happen again. "We are definitely broken," she says.

Is it all bad news?

Not everywhere in Makerfield tells the same story. In Ashton-in-Makerfield, Yasmin Ratcliffe opened Rose's Cafe in 2023 and is expanding, buoyed by £6.6 million in council regeneration spending. "It's a lot busier than we thought, so the team's growing," she said.

Chris Ratcliffe founded Langen, a motorcycle manufacturer, in Ashton in 2019. His first line of 100 motorbikes sold out. "There's an element of me that wants to prove a point that we can do it here," he said.

But Manchester's rising tide has not lifted all boats. The constituency is divided between the better-off western areas of Ashton, Orrell and Winstanley, and the more deprived eastern areas of Platt Bridge, Abram and Hindley.

What are voters saying about the candidates?

Reform UK is trying to contrast local plumber Robert Kenyon with what it calls Burnham using Makerfield as "a stepping stone" to No 10. Lewis Ash on Ashton High Street said: "I don't want it to be a stepping stone for Andy Burnham."

But Burnham's team says he has knocked on every door in the constituency several times, embracing difficult conversations in an area that has elected Labour MPs for 120 years but where Reform won every ward in May's local elections.

Mark Webster, secretary of Ashton Bears rugby league club, said his town has been "left to fester." He added: "The only thing that anybody around here feels that our children are worthy of is working in warehousing. Why have we not got computer-science jobs around there?"

But he welcomes the attention the by-election has brought: "For once, this is about us and what we need. It's the only chance we'll ever get."

How significant is this by-election?

Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said: "It's a proxy prime ministerial election in a sense."

A victory for Burnham would signal he can beat Reform in a tight race. A win for Reform would give the party more momentum and leave Labour in disarray. "That's why the stakes are so high," Ford said.

Restore Britain, led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe and buoyed by Elon Musk's support on X, sits in a distant third in constituency polls. Green candidate Sarah Wakefield, Conservative Michael Winstanley and Lib Dem Jake Austin are also competing for votes.