OPINIONS – everyone has one, but not everyone wants to share it, especially on a bitterly cold November morning.

And so it proved when the Guardian hit the streets of mid Cheshire to see how voters were feeling ahead of the General Election on December 12.

But despite the ‘don’t knows’ and ‘don’t cares’ from some, it became clear that residents from Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich are divided ahead of next month’s poll.

Brexit has dominated the national news since Britain voted to leave, and it is the biggest election issue for Keith Amphlett, a former soldier from Winsford who served in Northern Ireland.

He said: “I’m not voting Labour – certainly not. I think we should keep Boris Johnson in, pass the deal and get out of Europe.

READ > Charity sleep out in Middlewich to help the homeless

“I don’t like Jeremy Corbyn, I wouldn’t have anything to do with him. I used to vote Labour but now, no.

“I’m not a Conservative – they lost my house back in 1988-89 when Thatcher was in. My tax went up from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent and I lost with that because of her.

“I said I would never vote Tory, but now it’s different, isn’t it? I voted for Brexit and I will keep on voting for Brexit.”

But Brexit was not the biggest issue for most voters the Guardian spoke to.

Hayley Beckett, from Middlewich, said: “I’ll be voting Labour for definite, for many reasons.

“Obviously a lot of people are talking about the NHS. I’ve got family members that are in the police force and things like that.

Northwich Guardian:

“Money is tight, it is being pinched everywhere, but hopefully if Labour do follow their word then a lot more will be pumped into the necessary places.

“I try not to get too involved with it but you kind of can’t – there’s so much bickering going on behind the scenes, you don’t know who is telling the truth.”

Chris Mundy, from Northwich, added: “My main issue with it is that it’s largely a single issue election which is entirely detrimental to the country as a whole.

“Nobody is voting based on policy. Everyone is voting on personality – be it Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn – or it’s entirely based on what they perceive on the party’s views on Europe.

“When you are going into a General Election you should be looking at who is doing the best for education, health, the economy – as much as the economy is just a house of cards anyway.”

Northwich Guardian:

Image: PA Wire

Some voters are set to keep up their own traditions by sticking with Labour next month, including 92-year-old Cliff Vickers.

He said: “I was brought up in the 1930s, so that’s why I’m a Labour man.”

Florence Davies, from Winsford, added: “I’ve always voted Labour and I always will vote Labour.

“I just want to get it over and done with really. People are fed up, aren’t they?

“They’re promising all kinds – well they all promise all kinds don’t they, until they get there. We just have to wait and see.”

Florence’s politics fatigue was shared by several residents, including Labour-backing Barbara Eames, who labelled the election ‘a load of nonsense’.

Northwich Guardian:

Barbara Eames

Adam Worth, 26, added: “This is the third election we’ve had in almost as many years and it’s just getting a bit silly.

“They’ve not released the manifestos yet so I honestly don’t know which way I’ll vote yet, it all depends on what they say and what would benefit me the most.”

Phil Bower, who runs Northwich Art Shop, added that the election is adding further instability – and that he would be sad to see Weaver Vale’s Mike Amesbury, Labour, lose his seat.

He said: “Business is really being affected, there’s a lack of confidence – I know there’s a lack of confidence in my spending, it has been significantly lower this year and I certainly see that in terms of people coming through the front door.

“The party that stands for business [the Conservative Party] is hell bent on self destruction. Everything they say they are going to do, they have said they would do it before and failed to do so. They need to go, it’s rotten.

Northwich Guardian:

“I wasn’t a Conservative voter, but I certainly wasn’t a traditional Labour voter, and I think Mike has been absolutely superb. I’ve never seen an MP in our town so much.”