A Labour councillor in Stockport believes she can win one of Greater Manchester's battleground seats.

Claire Vibert is the Labour Party candidate for Hazel Grove, a marginal constituency which elected Tory MP William Wragg in the last election with a 4,000-vote majority.

Mr Wragg is set to step down when the next general election takes place.

Whilst some polls predict that the Lib Dems have a strong chance of winning the seat, Ms Vibert believes there's a "realistic" chance that voters in the area will turn to Labour instead.

Hazel Grove has never had a Labour MP before, but the 41-year-old is hoping to buck that trend, helped by Labour voters joining the constituency as part of new boundary changes.

Stockport's Manor ward – which has three Labour councillors – is set to move into Hazel Grove and could boost Ms Vibert's chances of success.

Hazel Grove's boundaries have been redrawn since the last election (Image - Alexander Greensmith)

Cllr Vibert said: "There's a realistic chance Labour can win in Hazel Grove.

"The election is being fought on new boundaries, so Hazel Grove is essentially a new seat.

"The landscape has changed and that's what we're hearing on the doorstep, local residents are ready for change."

Both Hazel Grove and Cheadle are key targets for the Lib Dems, and the party has hosted visits from leader Ed Davey to try and drum up support.

But while Labour believe they can pull off a shock victory, an elections expert has cast doubt over the claims.

London Road, Hazel Grove (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Professor Rob Ford from the University of Manchester argued that history will play a crucial part in deciding Hazel Grove's next MP.

He said: "Labour have to put a brave face on things, but I would be sceptical that they are in contention to win Hazel Grove. You get some seats that have changed completely with boundary changes, but this is not like that.

"This seat has been Tory or Lib Dem for the best part of 50 years. There are a lot of seats that Labour needs to contest in this election, if I were a Labour officer deciding where to put resources, I would not put them here.

"I don't think there will be a very active Labour campaign in Hazel Grove."

(Image - Alasdair Perry)

National election polls point to a Labour landslide victory overall, and locals in Hazel Grove recently told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that green issues are at the top of their list of priorities, including better roads and public transport.

Ms Vibert said if she wins the seat when the general election comes around, her focus will be on driving more investment across the borough of Stockport.

It's a keen interest for the Heatons South councillor, who is chair of the Economy, Regeneration and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee at Stockport council.

She said: "It's about supporting local businesses, helping them to thrive as much as we can. A Labour government will help the economy to start looking better, and I want the Hazel Grove constituency to be part of that.

"We want to see the work done in Stockport town centre replicated across the whole borough.

"We want to see neighbourhood centres thrive because that's the community and what matters to local people."

She's set to go up against Lisa Smart from the Lib Dems and Paul Athans from the Conservatives, as well as other candidates vying for the marginal seat.

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