By Thomas Bryden

Hazel Grove looks set to become one of Greater Manchester's 'battleground' seats at the next general election.

A new poll has suggested that it is the Liberal Democrats who are most favored to win - but other candidates have made their own cases.

The Lib Dems are currently leading with 42% of the predicted vote share, followed by the Conservatives at 22% and Labour at 19%, according to an MRP poll by YouGov and reported by The Times.

Hazel Grove's current MP, Tory William Wragg, is stepping down at the next election. He had been elected with a 4000-strong majority.

Liberal Democrat candidate Lisa Smart said: "More and more local people are telling me they are backing our campaign because they're fed up with being taken for granted by this Conservative government.

"After years of people struggling to find an NHS dentist, soaring prices in the shops and our rivers being polluted by filthy sewage, it's clear it's time for a change in our area."

Hazel Grove boundaries will change at the next general election and will now include Manor ward (the area around Aquinas College) (Image - Alasdair Perry)

However, Conservative parliamentary prospective candidate Paul Athans responded by pointing out that conversations he'd had with people around Hazel Grove didn't always match what the polls say.

Mr Athans said: "When I'm out speaking to local people in Hazel Grove constituency, they tell me that the next election will be a choice between the Conservatives or Labour. They know that a vote for any other party is a wasted vote.

"My focus is not on polling, but on tackling the issues that actually matter to local people. They want an MP that is visible and reliable, and that's exactly what I intend to deliver."

Councillor Claire Vibert, the Labour candidate for Hazel Grove, also remained confident. 

She said: "For the last three general elections, voters have been told to vote 'tactically' but it hasn't worked and they've ended up with a Tory MP.

"With the collapse of the Tory vote locally, the choice for voters at the general election is clear: a Labour MP supporting a Labour Government, or a Lib Dem who will be in opposition, undermining Labour's ability to implement its plan."

Also contesting the seat are Tim O'Rourke of the SDP, and Graham Reid of the Green Party.

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