Leeds: Chapeltown residents have their say on general election (2024)

The north Leeds suburb of Chapeltown draws thousands of people to its streets every year for the district's West Indian Carnival.

But when the colourful costumes are packed away, the working-class neighbourhood's challenges around health, wealth and opportunity remain.

BBC News spoke to residents to see if they thought the upcoming general election could help improve their lives.

"Life is getting harder," says business owner and father-of-four Yusuf Gahutu, who moved to Chapeltown from Burundi 13 years ago.

Yusuf owns a barber shop on Roundhay Road, but the only chatter inside comes from a radio when the BBC visits on a typical midweek afternoon.

"People don't have money," says Mr Gahutu from one of his unoccupied chairs.

The 53-year-old cites the cost-of-living crisis as the biggest issue for him in this election.

"The pay isn't enough to afford all of the life living in the UK at the moment.

"We don't know how it's going to be tomorrow.

"At the moment, the way the situation works, we can't afford to own this kind of business."

Retired care assistant John Edmunson lives on the border between Chapeltown and Harehills, which falls under a different constituency, but faces similar issues.

The 70-year-old, on his way home from a shopping trip, says he enjoys a peaceful life in the area - and wants to give peace a chance at the ballot box.

"I'm against war, so I want to vote for somebody who is against war," he says.

"I don't want us to go to war with Russia and I don't think we should be supporting Israel."

A Palestine flag is painted in the nearby Potternewton Park, where the annual West Indian Carnival is held every August.

Bus driver Ashley Hussain and his friends cite the ongoing conflict in Gaza as the biggest issue for them in this election.

He has voted previously, but isn't planning to this time round.

"The leaders, they are not our age, on our levels. They don't engage with us, they don't communicate with us," he says.

"I just feel like everything is fixed. Rishi Sunak, he got the position without an election. So did Liz Truss.

"There's nothing going for the community. I have driven buses for 11 years and when I'm driving buses in all these posher areas, like Horsforth, the grass is always cut.

"Around these areas nothing gets taken care of and I don't feel like money gets put into these areas. Because of that, there's no point voting."

According to a 2021 report on the democratic participation of ethnic minority and immigrant voters in the UK, studies found levels of political engagement among these groups to be "very high - and in many instances higher than the general population".

Still, the same report noted a higher percentage were not registered to vote compared with white British people.

The BBC encounters more apathy on Chapeltown Road, a thoroughfare leading to the more affluent suburb of Chapel Allerton.

Hairdresser and mother-of-one Lashawn Hanchard gives us a few minutes of her time while she waits for her lunch in a Jamaican takeaway.

"I want a change, but I'm not sure if anything is going to change," says the 28-year-old.

"I have got no hope."

A sign greeting visitors to Chapeltown welcomes them to a "world of opportunity", but that optimism seems to be misplaced.

"When I look at both parties and what they are saying I just think none of them are saying anything that's going to be beneficial to working-class people, or people that are struggling," adds Ms Hanchard.

"I just feel like it's all for the rich."

Ms Hanchard lives in Harehills - where "it's even worse" - and says a lack of facilities for children and the housing crisis are the biggest issues she would like to see addressed.

Play schemes were a feature of her childhood after moving to Leeds from Jamaica in 2008.

"There were things to get involved in so people have less time to get involved in other things that they shouldn't get involved in," she adds.

Ms Hanchard lives in a back-to-back terrace with her daughter, who is "cooped up".

"A back-to-back isn't suitable, you need a garden," she says.

"There's two-year-old's out on their bikes at 9pm because they can't do anything, but their parents have to let them out. You don't hear anything about that.

"All I'm hearing is 'Go to work'. Some people can't go to work - nursery fees at the minute are through the roof.

"You have got to choose between nursery or staying home with your children or heating."

Nicky Alleyne has lived in Chapeltown all her life and loves the sense of community here, but the 46-year-old salon owner says she has never met a politician or even seen one in the area.

"I just feel like they all say the same thing," she tells the BBC.

"They all say promising things until they get the vote, then the promise is never met."

She intends to vote, but is yet to decide on who to vote for.

Does she feel like politicians represent her?

"No."

There is no official data on the number of MPs from ethnic minority backgrounds, but according to the House of Commons Library an estimated 66 candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds were elected in the most recent general election in 2019, just under 10% of the overall total.

If the ethnic make-up of the House of Commons reflected that of the UK population, there would be about 104 MPs from minority ethnic backgrounds.

"You don't see anybody that represents someone like me on TV," adds Ms Alleyne.

"They don't get in there, dig their heels in, come and have a look around and see what's going on."

Ms Hanchard perhaps sums up the mood here when she concludes: "Win, lose or draw - it won't make much difference to me."

Full list of candidates in Leeds North East:

Gary Busuttil, Liberal Democrats

Ian Cowling, Yorkshire Party

Mike Davies, Alliance for Green Socialism

Fabian Hamilton, Labour

Stewart Hey, Climate Party

Dawud Islam, Workers Party of Britain

Louise Jennings, Green

Cordelia Lynan, SDP

Chris Nicholson, Christian Peoples Alliance

Kieran White, Reform UK

Chris Whiteside, Conservative

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