JAMES FRITH: A reminder of what Bury’s priorities are

Bury North, never a "Red Wall". Always a bell-weather. We’ve an election ahead of us that will be forged in the heat of this marginal seat.

We’re not a soundproofed constituency, we hear every vote cast and we take note of every vote.

In Bury North child poverty is now at 40 per cent. This is a leap of 10 per cent in recent years. Behind every statistic are hundreds of stories.

And behind this stat, here is one story. That of Suzy and her family’s.

Suzy opened the door to me in her winter coat. Her left foot was badly injured and uncovered. She is waiting for an operation on it.

Her only correspondence from the NHS so far was to delay her operation.

Her only communication since was to defer it again, indefinitely. She’s in pain and its causing her real problems with work and her own mobility.

As I stood talking to her, I saw her two children in the front room playing together. I could see their breath as they played. They were in their winter coats as well.

It was a Sunday and I asked were they off out? No, Suzy said, the "leccie (central heating) is off and it’ll be a while before we can get it put back on". The meter was out of credit and Suzy was out of money.

And here in an instant, the issues facing Bury and Britain were distilled in a moment.

The priorities we have in Bury summoned by one story sitting behind statistics that never quite do justice to the real experiences of people living through such hardship.

It is a reminder of why Bury’s priorities are the cost of living and our NHS. People are hard up and fed up.

Labour’s job is to restore faith in politics as a force for good. And Labour as the best force within it.

Bury North Labour candidate James Frith

For you, readers, this means more money in your pocket under Labour. Improvements to everyday life.

And instilling hope and progress just as Labour achieved in its 13 years of government. There’s a record to stand by.

Bury’s two priorities now were strongly served by the last Labour government, which achieved the highest ever patient satisfaction in the NHS and more money in people’s pockets with economic growth and a minimum wage.

Labour lifts the floor on which we all stand and will do again.

People ask what’s got better under 13 years of the Tories?

Well, I say, since the last election, The Labour Party! Labour is a changed Party ready to change Bury and Britain. Because we believe in better.

This next year we’ll get an election that demands change. And when the time comes I will stand as change that Bury North can trust.