General election 2015: Bristol West

In the fourth of our constituency profiles we look at Bristol West and ask voters from across the constituency what they think of politics, politicians and promises.

One of Bristol’s most diverse constituencies Bristol West has been one of the more difficult seats to predict since Labour’s Valerie Davey won the previously solid Conservative seat from William Waldegrave in 1997.

In 2010 the seat was won for the second time by the Stephen Williams (Lib Dem) who won a decisive 48 per cent of the votes.

The Green Party have declared this as their primary UK target, with leader Natalie Bennett due in Bristol this weekend for a final rallying cry.

More information about constituencies and the election.

As soon as polls close on May 7, Bristol24/7 will be bringing you all the latest general election news, views and results as it happens throughout the night.

General Election Results 20102015 General Election Candidates (alphabetical order)

Thangam Debbonaire Labour
Darren Hall Green
Claire Hiscott Conservative
Dawn Parry Independents for Bristol
Paul Turner UKIP
Stewart Weston Left Unity
Stephen Williams Liberal Democrats

More information on candidates and full list of polling stations

Abdalla Ali, 33, works in a construction shop, Easton   

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
I don’t really follow it to be honest with you 

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
I don’t vote

3. Do you trust election promises?
Not all of it 

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
None

Boris, 43, company director, Easton

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
No 

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
Yeah

3. Do you trust election promises?
Yes

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
More adaptive measures. Easton is a part of the city where you have multiculturalism, different creeds, so we need to have infrastructures for that. Promises have to be local – so that what they do in one part of the city, doesn’t necessarily apply to another part of the city.

Catherine Smith, 24, retail, Gloucester Road

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
I know the Green Party candidate, but the others, no.

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
Yes

3. Do you trust election promises?
I’m sceptical, but yeah 

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
None really 

Chris Ellingham, 56, retired, Redland

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
I know some of the names, Stephen Williams, the Labour lady – I can’t remember the name but I’d recognise it.

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
Yes, I’ll be voting Lib Dem.

3. Do you trust election promises?
With the current environment, it’s got to be negotiated afterwards. Nobody is going to get the majority, so we’re just going to have to see what happens again.

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
None specifically, more just general economy.

Dee Hassan, 19, student, Easton

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
Yes

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
It’s between two parties, and it’s about student loans.

3. Do you trust election promises?
No

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
None

Jo Elliot, 59, painter and illustrator, St Paul’s

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
Yeah

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
Yes

3. Do you trust election promises?
No, not mostly

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
My main issue is the environment, everything else is secondary to that, personally.

Keira Cheung, 23, owner of the Coffee Trike at Redland station, St Werbugh’s

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
I know the Green Party candidate, the Lib Dem candidate, the Labour candidate, I’m not sure about the Tory candidate.

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
Well I did decide who I was going to vote for, but I just found out today that despite applying to be on the electoral register it hasn’t gone through properly, so I’m not going to be able to vote, which is really frustrating. I’ve got to send off my passport and my driver’s licence – the actual documents, not copies – and four other pieces of identification as well, today, and I don’t think I’m going to have time for it all to go through anyway, which is crap because I’ve been really keen to vote and encouraging others to vote. It almost seems very convenient that this new process has been brought in and it seems to eliminate a lot of people who probably wouldn’t vote Tory. It’s wiped off a lot of the electoral register and it seems almost undemocratic. If you don’t register individually to vote then you’re not on the register anymore and that was kept very quiet. Millions of young people aren’t able to vote anymore because of it.

3. Do you trust election promises?
Based on the past, no. People just say what they need to, to get into power.

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
Housing I think is pretty critical at the moment.

Liz Hall, 25, logistics coordinator, Clifton

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
No idea

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
I’m not voting

3. Do you trust election promises?
Probably not, no

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
I’d like all the permit parking to go away, because it’s just another cost that I think is a bit ridiculous. You can’t park anywhere free now – anywhere at all!

Lucky Dube, 19, music student, Clifton

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
I do

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
I have

3. Do you trust election promises?
To an extent

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
I’m not really sure I have any to be honest. It’s all quite calm around here.

Manos McParland, 35, book maker, Easton

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
No

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
I don’t vote. I don’t believe it will make a difference. It’s a system that will happen whether I get involved or not.

3. Do you trust election promises?
No

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
I don’t have any issues.

Phil Farmer, 22, graphic designer, Bishopston

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
No

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
I’m not voting

3. Do you trust election promises?
Not really

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
Nothing that comes to mind straight away

Rebecca Cant, 33, freelance writer, Easton

1. Do you know who your local candidates are?
I don’t know the names of my local candidates

2. Have you decided who to vote for yet and, if not, what can they do to change your mind?
I’ll be voting Green

3. Do you trust election promises?
Not really, but I have faith in the Green Party manifesto

4. What are the main issues for you in your constituency?
Provision of youth care, child care places, recycling, school places, making sure schools are well-funded, and health services