Local elections will take place in Sefton on May 2
Concerns around bike lanes, potholes and telegraph poles will all be central to how people vote in Southport , but there is a very clear sense the national political landscape will influence people's choices in the forthcoming local elections.
Martine said: "I've been cycling up and down this road for 20 years without the cycle lane and never come to any harm. Both John and Martine are concerned about what they see as the decline in some parts of the town and point to the issue of cleanliness, particularly in the centre. They also highlight what they believe are fewer shops opening and more places closing, with many buildings being left empty. Martine said: "I've lived here for 45 years and Southport used to be beautiful.
However, Brian's primary concern is the closure of Southport Pier. He said: "The closure has had a massive impact on the town. Like many people up and down the country Brian has little faith that voting will have much impact, and it's a view seemingly shared by many people across the borough - the turnout in Sefton for the last local election was just 30.8%. Brian added: "I don't think our say matters much. After 24 years - I remember bringing my daughter here when she was two years old, she's 22 now - I've heard it all before.
Nonetheless, there are other issues for the councillor to contend with. He said: "People are commenting on the state of the town centre. It's a big issue for people, locally. Within the Conservative Group we are trying to help the local MP with his investment into the town centre via the Town Deal funding that he got."
The race to be the new councillor for Dukes ward is a closely fought contest with even the Conservative representative admitting it's a difficult one to call. For Meghan, she wants to hear what all the candidates have to say before casting her vote. She said: "Southport has changed. There's less high street shops and less people out and about. There's definitely been a decline.
As we leave Cllr Prendergast, we walk towards the corner of Portland street where we bump into local resident, William Rushby on his way into the town centre to do some shopping. "The money seems to go out of Southport and into Bootle and we just end up with the crumbs. They are both such different towns and it's hard to marry up the priorities of both areas."
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