Potholes and boarded-up high streets damaging voters' pride in their local areas, new poll that damns Labour finds

By SAM MERRIMAN, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:01, 6 May 2026 | Updated: 00:05, 6 May 2026 Pothole-ridden roads and boarded-up high streets are damaging voters' pride in their local areas, according to a new poll that paints a damning picture of Labour's Britain. Ahead of the local elections on Thursday, a survey has found that while almost half of Britons are proud of where they live, just 37 per cent of people feel their area is thriving. Over half of voters said the declining high street was the biggest reason their area is not thriving, with 44 per cent citing potholes as the single biggest annoyance in their local area. And the research by pollster JL Partners found that 8 out of 10 people feel they haven't received any positive, tangible day-to-day benefits from investment and infrastructure projects where they live. The poll of more than 8,000 people found that 46 per cent of Britons are proud of where they live - more than twice as many as those who are not (17 per cent) - giving a 'net pride' score of +29. Britons living in rural communities were found to have more pride in their areas - with Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire leading the way as the proudest constituency in Britain (with a net pride score of +69). This was followed by Mid Leicestershire (with a net pride score of +65), Sussex Weald (+64), Horsham (+64) and Stirling and Strathallan (+63). By contrast the poll found that the least proud constituency in Britain was Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, which had a net pride score of -4. Over half of voters said the declining high street was the biggest reason their area is not thriving, with 44 per cent citing potholes as the single biggest annoyance in their local area (stock photo)  Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch kicked off her party's local election campaign this month by launching a £112million 'pothole patrol' plan (Ms Badenoch is pictured repairing a pothole in the West Midlands) This was followed by Bermondsey and Old Southwark (+11), Manchester Central (+15), Erith and Thamesmead (+18) and Tooting (+18). When it comes to whether Britons feel their communities are thriving, Londoners are the most likely to say that their area is, with a net thriving score of +28. By comparison, people living in Scotland and Wales feel like their areas are not thriving, with net thriving scores of -2 and -5 respectively. Guy Miscampbell, director at JL Partners, said: 'It's clear that Brits feel proud of their local area, even if they're well aware of its shortcomings. 'The good news for the Government is that they are clear about what would improve their local areas, and there is a lot of low-hanging fruit. 'The question is how they can make sure that local investment best goes to the places people think it is needed, such as potholes and local services.' The poll of poll of 8,025 UK adults was carried out for the Social Value Commission, an independent group of UK companies including E.ON UK, Heathrow Airport, Premier League and VodafoneThree. However deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell said: 'Tomorrow's local elections are about who runs your local services. Vote Labour to deliver the change you want to see in your area. 'Vote Labour for real action to improve our high streets and town centres. Vote Labour to tackle anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping and potholes. Vote Labour to put pride back into local areas and investment in local services.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.