Star date: 8th June 2017

GENERAL ELECTION VOTES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE

Thanks to a unique registration scheme, begun by the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre in Eccles, today homeless people were able to vote in the General Election. Mark told the Salford Star that it was the first time he had voted since he lived with his parents thirty years ago.

For those who are registered, the polling stations are open until 10pm tonight.

Full details here...

Some of the most vulnerable people in society who are right at the sharp end of wicked Tory Government policies could have missed out on a vote today to try and change things.

However a unique registration scheme begun by the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre in Eccles has enabled them to take part in the General Election.

The rules state that to register for a vote a person must have an address – but if you're homeless you are completely disenfranchised. After checking with Parliament, the Unemployed Centre has allowed homeless people to use its address to register, and this morning some of those who now have that right to vote met at the Centre and went to exercise their democratic right (see previous Salford Star article - click here)

"It's thirty years since I voted, when I lived at my parents who have both died now" Paul told the Salford Star "I was not registered because I didn't have an address."

Other organisations in Salford also joined the Unemployed Centre's initiative, including Narrowgate and Project 34, while the Booth Centre in Manchester also got on board. Alec McFadden, from the Centre, says that 89 homeless people were registered in Salford and hundreds across Manchester...

"The great thing is that loads of people who have never registered before will today get to vote" he added "As soon as the Election is over I'm going to look for a friendly MP to put a Private Members Bill through, because the law says anyone of 18 years of age who isn't in a mental institution can vote - but the bureaucrats say that you need an address, so we need to find a way around that."

Mark, who was homeless after being released from prison, has now been sorted with somewhere to stay by the Centre and registered to vote with help from its staff...

"Courtesy of this place, I found about things that could get done so I registered through the Unemployed Centre" he explained "What's made more of a difference this time around have been the so-called 'social reforms' that the Government have brought in. If you hit someone in the pocket they're going to do something about it. I would imagine that a lot of people have voted this year who didn't vote last time. But irrespective of who gets in something need to be done. They can't keep brushing homelessness under the carpet..."

Anyone who is registered can vote today and the polling stations are open until 10pm.

The Candidates...

SALFORD AND ECCLES

Christopher Barnes – UKIP
Rebecca Long-Bailey – Labour Party
Wendy Olsen – Green Party
John Campbell Reid – Liberal Democrats
Jason Sugarman – Conservative Party

All candidates live in the constituency except John Reid (Stockport) and Jason Sugarman (Richmond Park)

WORSLEY AND ECCLES

Kate Clarkson - Liberal Democrats
Tom Dylan – Green Party
Barbara Keeley – Labour Party
Iain Lindley – Conservative Party

All candidates live in the constituency except Kate Clarkson (Sale) and Barbara Keeley (Sale).

BLACKLEY AND BROUGHTON

Abi Ajoku - Christian People's Alliance
Charles Gadsden - Liberal Democrats
David Goss – Conservative Party
David Jones – Green Party
Martin Power – UKIP
Graham Stringer – Labour Party

All candidates live in the constituency except Charles Gadsden (Hulme) and David Goss (Buckingham)