GENERAL ELECTION 2015: Northamptonshire has been a battle ground for political parties at marginal seats

The national picture could not have been tighter.

Conservatives and Labour were polling neck-and-neck throughout the election with the party taking the advantage changing from day to day...depending of course on which poll you looked at. Every seat counts, if a party is to claim an overall majority. No seat can be classed as ‘safe’ in the county, though there will be large swings needed to overturn majorities in Daventry and South Northamptonshire in particular.

It means marginal seats have become key battlegrounds and one of those - the Northampton North constituency - has seen Labour and Conservative throw everything but the kitchen sink at the patch to win over voters.

The last Lord Ashcroft poll handed Sally Keeble, the Labour candidate there, a slight win, but the seat, held by Conservative Michael Ellis, could go either way with the Green Party, UKIP and the Lib Dems all expected to poll well.

At a ‘meet the candidate’ event at the Royal & Derngate held during the election, floating voters attended with the hope of being wooed by the Northampton North candidates.

On his way into the theatre 64-year-old Frank Ludlow, of Aspen close, Rectory Farm, knew what he was looking for.

“What I want is an MP who has some passion and will sometimes step out of line for the things they believe in,” he said, as he dismayed at the lack of arts funding promised in the main party manifestos this year. Elsewhere in the constituency, others are no closer to making up their mind.

Tim Brown, who runs a marketing and webs design company Media Identity, based at the Portfolio Innovation centre on St George’s Avenue, said he was no closer to deciding who to vote for.

“Obviously I’m a businessman so I’m interested in anything to do with taxes and I’ve got a young family so I’m also interested in anything involving the NHS,” he said. “I don’t think it’s an easy decision to make at this election.”

And while much of the rhetoric at this election has centred around the ‘hard working families’ of Great Britain, 25-year-old Ali Toomey, from Northampton, said she was considering voting Conservative, but had been disappointed with the Coalition government of the last five years.

As a mother of a 10-month old son with special dietary needs, she still works as a carer part time and receives just £10 a week in working tax credits. “There is not enough support for young mothers,” she said. “They need to promise a lot more for working families, I would have earned around £7,000 more if I didn’t work.”