LAST week we introduced five undecided voters who have yet to make up their minds about which party they will be supporting at May 7’s General Election.

Week by week we are following their journey to the ballot box, and this week we caught up with them to see how their views are being swayed by national and local campaigning.

 

RETIRED BBC manager Gilian Cleeve, of Cark-in-Cartmel, paid close attention to the five local candidates’ comments on the environment in last week’s Gazette. “I thought the Labour and Greens’ statements were good. However, those comments are not going to affect my vote – I feel the two sensible options are the Liberal Democrats and the Tories.”

 

AMBLESIDE student Chris Farran, 23, is favouring Ukip as the election campaign unfolds, but he has some reservations.
Chris said Ukip seemed to make progress but then “shoot themselves in the foot”. However, he is still favouring Ukip as he feels that other parties “say different things but nothing ever seems to change”.

 

RETIRED English teacher Will Garnett, 67, told the Gazette: “Politicians are continuing to make promises that they can’t deliver.”The Kendal father-of-four explained: “The national press doesn’t report; it tries to create headlines, so that it’s very hard to judge. I’m inclined more and more towards the Greens, simply on the grounds that we need a change.”

 

FOR Kirkby Lonsdale cafe owner John Strange, 36, the prospect of Labour raising the national minimum wage is a worry. “That’s more about making the person richer instead of trying to build a better society and economy,” he said. John is eyeing the Conservatives and says he is “probably a bit less distrustful” of them than the other parties. 

 

THE creation of garden cities, as proposed by the Lib Dems and Labour, has captured the interest of Peter Chadwick. Peter, 23, operations manager at the Whitewater Hotel Spa, Backbarrow, said that Labour has been talking about guaranteed jobs for under-25s and creating a million hi-tech and green jobs by 2025 – something that would win his vote.