THE Labour campaign bus rolled into Leigh yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, in the party's fight to keep hold of one of its heartland seats.

Party chairman Ian Lavery delivered an impassioned speech on Spinning Gate car park about the effect austerity has had on the town and how he believes Labour's manifesto will improve residents' lives.

Leigh candidate Jo Platt, who was first elected in 2017, also spoke to those who gathered, as well as party activists.

Supporters of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) movement, of which Labour has pledged to pay £58bn to them after they lost out as results of changes to the pension age, were also there.

After the speeches, Ms Platt said: "On the campaign trail I think it is really important to get across that we have had nine-and-a-half years of austerity and cuts to public services.

"If anyone walks down Bradshawgate they can see with their own eyes the effects that this has had.

"There have been cuts to public services, cuts to drugs and alcohol services - they are the things that people can visibly see on our streets.

"We need to get rid of things like food banks and make sure families are not in poverty - for me that’s what I am passionate about."

To her surprise, the former Astley Mosley Common councillor said Brexit has not been the top issue that has been discussed with residents on the doorstep so far.

"We thought it was going to be an election about Brexit - do not get me wrong, of course it is mentioned, but it's not the main issue with people," she said.

"People are rightly fed up of nine-and-a-half years of austerity. I think it’s just getting that across - telling them where that’s come from, where the cuts lie and how we move forward with that.

"People are willing and so open to have that conversation.

"From a media perspective of what’s going on nationally, people know what they need locally.

"I think that’s really important and that’s the messages that we are getting out on the doors."

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Ms Platt is clear on what areas she wants to focus on in improving her constituency.

She said: "From a local perspective what we need to do here is quite obvious- investment in this area and the town centre.

"We need to give businesses the opportunity to open up - and we are seeing glimmers of hope on Bradshawgate.

"We need to give them the opportunity to develop and make Leigh a good town centre.

"We have got loads of positives going on in Leigh and it’s about bringing them out - bringing our spaces that we have out and building on them.

"For me investment and transport are the key areas that I want to deal with.

"We need to deal with the abject poverty and deprivation and vulnerability but that can only come from central government."