Here's what the people of Paisley want from this General Election

Issues like education, healthcare and the environment are big topics for this year's election. We took to the streets in Paisley to ask local residents what was important to them.

Yasmin Morris (left) and Fawan Arora (right) (Image: Newsquest) Will you be voting on July 4?

Yasmin, 24, says she needs to research her candidates more before she makes a decision.

She said: “I’ve not looked into it much, but I should do.”

“I want [my MP] to bring stuff for young people and children. Definitely more children’s clubs, I feel like they have abandoned it.”

READ MORE: Who can I vote for this General Election and how?

Fawan Arora, 41, said: “I think I should play a part in what I want to happen here. I live in Paisley, and I want to see the streets cleaned up. People make so much mess."

Teresa McKenna, 59, said: “It’s a vote lost if you don’t vote. I think health care and social care are dreadful, doctor appointments times too, they need to be fixed.”

What issue affecting Renfrewshire would you like fixed?

Patrick McCarron (Image: Newsquest) Patrick McCarron, bus driver, 63, said: “Fix the shops and bring the prices down. There is nothing here, it’s getting derelict.

"I used to drive the route to the hospital here three years ago and I can see a major difference in that time. All the shops have shut, there's nowhere to eat. I would like to go have a sit-down breakfast but I can't.”

Derek Smillie (left) with his colleagues (Image: Newsquest) Derek Smillie, lecturer, 59, said: "I am not going to be voting for Graeme Day that’s for sure. We all work in further education and the Scottish government has done nothing to help lecturing staff and further education or education in general. The amount of cuts they are putting in is ridiculous.

"It's going to die if they don’t, it’s the future of Scotland. They are talking about green skills etc and who is going to train them if they keep cutting education and courses and colleges?

"How do we get people out of poverty? We need further education for them to move on and get jobs. Some people can’t afford university or student loans. It’s not right.

"The college I was working at is losing a million pounds and the money promised is not coming."

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Gayle Hudson, care assistant, 28, said: “I think carers and frontline workers should be getting more money, I worked throughout COVID, and I was only getting paid minimum wage. I love my job but I should be getting better pay."

Robert Hutton, 59, said: “I want to see more encouragement for businesses to the town. It's terrible in the town centre, there is nothing here. A bus service would be great too, we lost our wee bus.”

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm on July 4 and voters are required, for the first time, to bring photographic ID.