ELECTION 2017: Bradford South constituency profile

FOR decades, there has been little drama when it comes to elections in Bradford South.

The seat, after all, is about as Labour as a red rose, having been held by the party since the end of the Second World War, and its candidates routinely attracting around half of all votes cast. But could all that be about to change?

For the first time in generations, the Conservatives have been talking – and openly, rather than in hushed, incredulous whispers – that they might just be in with a chance.

First came Theresa May’s decision to hold the snap election, at a time when her party was riding high in the national polls.

Then came the result of the Council by-election in the Bradford South ward of Queensbury, which saw the Conservatives’ Andrew Senior win a landslide to hold his party’s place on Bradford Council.

However, perhaps talk of a close two-horse race was premature.

Queensbury, after all, is a right-of-centre village in a left-wing seat, so perhaps it’s not the best barometer of public opinion across the constituency.

Calls from local Conservatives for the party to make Bradford South a target seat don’t yet appear to have come to much.

And bookmaker William Hill has Labour’s Judith Cummins odds-on favourite to retain her seat, at 1/7, compared to Conservative Tanya Graham’s far slimmer 8/1 odds.

But it has left the constituency with a tantalising chance of an actual contest – and in Bradford South, this is as dramatic as it gets.

Both Labour and the Conservatives will be hoping to pick up votes from UKIP, following the party’s slump at the polls in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

But UKIP did well in Bradford South in 2015, coming a close third after the Tories, and its current candidate Stephen Place will be hoping to replicate that result.

Also on the ballot paper will be Stuart Thomas, of the Liberal Democrats, who will be hoping to do better than his predecessor Andrew Tear did in 2015, when he came in fifth and lost his deposit.

Similarly, Darren Parkinson, for the Greens, will be looking to retain his deposit, unlike his predecessor last time around.

And Therese Hirst is standing for the English Democrats. The last time she stood for a seat in Parliament was in the by-election following the murder of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox. Then, she was in the unusual position of both coming second and losing her deposit, as all major parties had decided not to stand a candidate against Labour as a mark of respect.

There will be a few key issues on people’s minds as they head to the polls.

They may consider what sort of EU deal each candidate will fight for. Although constituency-level results were never published from the EU referendum, political wonks have estimated that a huge 64 per cent of people in Bradford South voted to leave.

New homes will be another major consideration. South-east Bradford is set to take 6,000 new homes by 2030, including a controversial extension of Holme Wood into the Green Belt of the Tong Valley.

Health, education and jobs also remain big issues in the area and are likely to feature prominently in people’s thoughts.

And people may want to see more transport improvements, after the recent opening of the new Low Moor railway station.

Word on the street

Peter Wood (top left), 69, of Beacon Road, Wibsey, said: "I'm not a hundred per cent sure which way I will vote at the moment. The main issue for me is immigration. A lot of people round here voted for Ukip last time because of this. But I will probably vote Conservative."

Peter Clements (top row, second left), 73, of Oakroyd Avenue, Wibsey, said: "I am voting for the Conservatives because they are better for the country, better for the economy, and better all round with immigration. I think the Labour vote will go down."

Rosaline Pressland (top middle), 78, of Ashdown Close, Wibsey, said: "I'm voting for the Tories, I always do. I think Theresa May is a good Prime Minister and if Jeremy Corbyn gets in, he'll be nationalising everything."

Deborah Fraser (top row, second right), 51, of Odsal, said: "I am going to vote Labour. I've always voted Labour, that's how I've been brought up. I'm from a working class background. I'm not very political but I feel the Conservatives have been quite negative, such as over the NHS."

Pauline Naylor (top right), 58, of Wibsey, said: "Normally we get inundated with leaflets from the candidates and parties, but we haven't had anything this time. I'd rather not say who I am voting for, but I switched last General Election and I will be sticking with that party."

Kathleen Gurney (bottom left), of Wibsey, said: "I will definitely be voting for Labour, but I do have mixed feelings about Jeremy Corbyn. The politicians should stop squabbling and the best people from each party come together to help us through Brexit."

Dorothy Slater-Keating (bottom row, second left), 80, of Pickles Lane, Wibsey, said: "I am going to vote Conservative. I've got more confidence in the leader of the Conservatives, than I have the Labour leader, so I will be voting for the Tories again."

Anthony Doyle (bottom middle), 47, of Canterbury Avenue, Little Horton, said: "I will probably be voting Conservative. The issues for me are not enough police officers on the streets. I have voted Labour before, but recently it's been for the Tories."

Lawrence Darvill (bottom row, second right), 67, of Beacon Road, Wibsey, said: "I am voting Conservative. Jeremy Corbyn's policies seem to be give everybody everything - but where is that money going to come from?"

Stephen Ackroyd (bottom right), 58, of Wibsey, said: "I am voting Labour at the General Election. I think they will support education, the police and the NHS. All you see are Tory cuts - they go by the name of austerity, but to everyone else they are cutbacks."

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