What matters most to the Gen-Z descendants of Basildon Man?

For many years "Basildon Man" was used in political circles to exemplify a type of median voter who was hard-working and determined to get ahead in life. What do his Generation Z descendants – currently studying at South Essex College's Basildon campus – care about most ahead of this year's local government elections?

Later this week voters will decide who fills all 42 seats on Basildon Borough Council.

The council, which has been Conservative-led since 2021 when there no party with overall control, is responsible for services like bin collections, parks, public housing and local planning applications.

What do the next crop of voters – some of whom will be voting for the first time – care about most?

Plumbing and heating student Joshua Glass, 18, says he wishes politics was taught to children from primary school age, because "people my age often don't know a lot about it".

He says one of his chief concerns at the moment is the cost of living because "a lot of people are struggling with it".

He says more money needs to go into facilities for younger people.

"I was speaking about this recently with a friend and all we could think of were a couple of gyms," he says.

"I want my area to be as nice and safe as it can be. That's what matters to me."

Asked whether he will vote in the local elections, Mr Glass says: "Possibly. I've asked my parents about it to find out how they would vote, but I think I need to do a bit more research before I decide who I will vote for."

James Claydon, 23, is studying for an electrical installation qualification at the college.

He is disillusioned with the current political scene and feels the main political parties are "as bad as each other", and claims politicians "all have their own little agendas".

He feels the future for his generation is "bleak" because of the "price of houses, inflation and the fact wages are staying the same".

At the local level, his biggest concerns include the cost of living, immigration and knife crime.

However, Mr Claydon, who still lives at home with his parents, says he does not think he will vote in the local elections.

Electrical installation student Chloe Green, 18, has just secured an apprenticeship.

She says although politics matters and "impacts the whole country and where I live", she feels uninformed and doubts she will be voting in the forthcoming elections.

"Even if my parents did tell me a bit about it, I don't feel like it is appropriate for me to just follow them because I am my own person," she says.

Despite this, she says she has felt first hand the impact of rising prices.

"Inflation has massively affected me and my family," she says.

Asked what issues she would like politicians to focus on, she says: "Ambulances, healthcare and residential care are really big issues and are important to me."

"I think politicians should be focusing on our country as a whole instead of what is going outside," says Justin Rowe, 18. "For example, we've got things like homelessness, knife crime, hunger on the streets and people unable to afford housing.

"I think we should help ourselves out before we help others out and I feel like you can only do one or the other."

The plumbing and heating student feels housing and inflation are the key issues of the day.

"I would be interested to hear from local politicians about what more they could do for us," he says.

Mr Rowe says he does not look at political leaflets pushed through the letterbox.

"They are too confusing and boring," he says. "They should be talking to us on social media."

As with some of his fellow students, 20-year-old plumbing and heating student Oliver Johnson wants politicians to focus more on domestic issues rather than foreign affairs.

Inflation, in particular, is an issue he has experienced first hand as a new driver, paying £1,600 in insurance this year.

Despite saying he would be unlikely to vote in the council elections, he rated some local authority services as being very important.

He gave street cleaning, bin collections and environmental health the maximum 10-of-out-10 score.

Charlie Elliott, 21, is three years into a four-year plumbing course and works with his father. He describes himself as an "undecided voter".

He says the local elections have not been well publicised beyond the "odd leaflet through the door" and is not sure he will vote, because "I don't really know what I would be voting for".

"A lot of politicians just say things people want to hear," he says. "How often does what they say will actually happen? I don't think it is as often as we would like."

Like Mr Johnson, Mr Elliott gave some areas of council business the maximum score in terms of importance.

Keeping streets clean, supporting people in housing need and dealing with rubbish and recycling were all deemed vitally important by Mr Elliott.

So will he be voting then? For the time being, he says, he remains unsure.

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