During the course of the general election campaign, HuffPost UK wanted to hear the voices of people from across the country.
In Dundee, Bolton, Bristol, Oxford, Uxbridge, Watford and Newcastle Under Lyme, people told us – and politicians in Westminster – what really mattered to them.
Ewan from Dundee
“There's a lot of conversation around issues of independence [and] leaving the European Union. Because of the lack of resolution in these areas, it's almost like the domestic matters – like trying to tackle the issues of drug deaths in Dundee or throughout Scotland, trying to tackle the endemic levels of poverty across the country, and trying to tackle some of the challenges that we face around the National Health Service and our education system in Scotland – have been painfully left behind.”
- Ewan Gurr, Dundee
Sally from Bristol
“The cuts to the special educational needs and disability budgets, which have been pretty fierce and relentless over the last nine years. In Bristol, the SEN service is absolutely on its knees.”
- Sally Kent, Bristol
Trevor from Bolton
“There’s no major government departments been set up here. Industries [have] moved out. Obviously times change, times move on, but the powerful regeneration of Bolton’s not matched that of say, Sheffield, and other areas which seem to have tried harder to get the governments here.”
- Trevor Jones, Bolton
Vivian from Oxford
“The 2014 Mental Health Act hasn't been updated and it needs updating. Mental health isn’t being looked after in NHS staff, which in turn impacts how well they can perform and how it impacts on their home life.”
- Vivian Gleave, Oxford
Vicky from Uxbridge
“Being a teacher, I've noticed the reductions in available services for the kids, and ithas a knock-on effect in some of the crime that's going up in thisarea as well. A lot of youth crime has gone up. A couple ofweeks ago, the local Aldi got smashed in completely by localyouths, and it made actual national news, and that's not whatwe want at all.”
- Vicky, Uxbridge
Jo from Watford
“We almost feel a little bit ignored sometimes. I’m just a typical working-class mum. [...] I just feel that, especially in this town, there’s just so many buildings going up, and it is literally like a concrete jungle, there’s just too many people. The traffic is horrendous. I think of his health in that sense.”
- Jo, Watford
Jamie from Newcastle Under Lyme
“It’s putting it back on the map. It was on the map once, definitely it was. You know what I mean. World-famous, on the map. Now we’re just not on the map.”
- Jamie, Newcastle Under Lyme