Star date: 20th April 2017

86% OF PEOPLE KNOW THERE'S A GM MAYOR ELECTION BUT FEW CAN NAME ANY CANDIDATES

Today the Salford Star took to Salford Precinct to gauge people's knowledge of the Greater Manchester Mayor Election on May 4th – and found that, while the vast majority knew about the ballot and intended to vote, 69% couldn't name a single candidate, while the other 31% could only name one candidate, Andy Burnham.

Full details here...

It's hard to get away from the fact that there is a Greater Manchester Mayor Election on May 4th. Locally, every household has had a brochure listing virtually all the candidates with their policies, while the other night there was a BBC debate featuring all but one of the candidates.

The parties have also been out canvassing door-to-door, there's been live hustings, with more to come...yet, it appears, not one single candidate has made an impact on the vast majority of people – if the Salford Star's very unscientific sample of Salford Precinct shoppers is anything to go by.

We asked four questions to a random sample of three dozen people on the Precinct this afternoon...

Do you know that there is a Greater Manchester Mayor Election on May 4th?
86% said they were aware of the election, with 14% unaware.

Will you be voting in the election?
61% said they would be voting and 39% said either 'No' or 'Don't know'.

Can you name any of the candidates standing in the Greater Manchester Mayor Election?
69% couldn't name a single candidate; and the other 31% could name only one candidate, which was always Andy Burnham.

Who will you be voting for?
Of those who answered, 91% said Andy Burnham, with 9% saying Liberal Democrats. No other political party was mentioned.

Comments from those who took part in the survey were largely sceptical...even amongst Andy Burnham voters...

"He's a bit arrogant" said one person, while another insisted "He's the only one who stands out". Someone else thought they would be voting for Jeremy Corbyn in the GM Mayor Election...

Of those who wouldn't be voting, comments ranged from "They're all on too much money", to "I don't even know what this election is", to "I'm sick of them all"...

...Another person was annoyed that there was a GM Mayor Election in the first place... "Why wasn't there a referendum on this? Why weren't Salford people consulted?" he asked...

To read more about the candidates and their policies click on the links to their websites...

Will Patterson – Green Party – click here

Jane Brophy – Liberal Democrats – click here

Andy Burnham – Labour Party – click here

Sean Anstee – Conservative Party – click here

Marcus Farmer – Independent – click here

Shneur Odze – UKIP – click here

Stephen Morris – English Democrats – click here

Mohammad Aslam – Independent – doesn't appear to have any online presence

*The Salford Star does not endorse any candidate.

See also previous related Salford Star articles...

Greater Manchester Mayor to Cost Over £4million – click here

Andy Burnham Roasted By Homelessness Campaigners at Housing Hustings – click here

Survey conducted by Mikey K, with graphics by Anya Samantha