In November, we ran an interview with Craig Smith, the Conservative candidate for North West Leicestershire at the next General Election.

For balance, we have also spoken to the Labour candidate, Amanda Hack, who states her case to be the area's next MP - and addresses criticisms from some sides that she is does not live in the district.

Labour's candidate for the North West Leicestershire seat at the next General Election believes voters in the constituency are calling for change.

Amanda Hack, a Leicestershire County Councillor, will be aiming to be the district's new MP later this year, the first Labour representative since the late David Taylor.

The seat is currently occupied by Andrew Bridgen, who was thrown out of the Conservative Party last year, resigned from the Reclaim Party recently and is standing as an independent candidate.

He won in 2019 with a 20,400 majority and has held the seat since 2010.

The Conservative Party will be represented by another county councillor, Craig Smith, with other parties yet to name their candidates.

But although she expects the vote to be a close one, Cllr Hack says she feels there is an appetite for change in the area.

Speaking to Ashby Nub News, Cllr Hack said: "There has been so much uncertainty with the sitting MP. We probably feel it more in this constituency because of that.

"I've been out knocking doors most weekends, and it's been clear for a while that people want change. Certainly in the style of MP, and then a change of Government.

"That desire is getting stronger and stronger. Certainly the May elections locally last year gave us a taste of that. 

"Local and General elections course are quite different - of course they are. But I think it gives a real insight to where the electorate are in North West Leicestershire. And I think it will be it will be closely fought contest.

"But I put myself forward to my party membership on the basis that I feel I've got the experience and the ability to go the distance."

It has been pointed out by some that Cllr Hack is not a North West Leicestershire resident.

But she says she has a thorough knowledge of the area and its issues as a result of being a county councillor and living and working in Leicestershire for 25 years.

She said: "I have a background in a lot of policy areas. And that means that I can immediately hit the ground running with the public.

"I've been a county councillor for the last six years, not locally, but just up the road. That gives you a really good basis of grounding on policy.

"And you get a real insight to people, how they're feeling and how they're responding to the day to day issues.

"I've actually been really honest with people when they've asked me the question about not living locally, I've told them: 'I live near Fosse Park'.

"They haven't been too worried about it. I'm a girl from Cleethorpes. I'm really proud of where I'm from. It's something I'm not going to hide.

Cllr Hack has also addressed law and order in the area. Photo: Leicestershire Police

"I want people like me to be socially mobile, I don't think that should hold people back. I currently have a Leicestershire-wide responsibility as leader of the Labour group in the county.

"But I also worked for Leicester Housing Association for 14 years.

"I was only ever kind of put myself forward for North West Leicestershire. I was really lucky that my peers thought I was the person they wanted to show faith in to deliver that. I wasn't considering any other seat. That was really important to me. 

"I'd worked Coalville in my very first job. Then in Ashby. 

"I think there's a huge amount of potential in the area. It's really exciting. I think there's a real opportunity to create something and, and that's why I just felt so strongly about it.

"But if I became the MP, we would move of course we would. There's no doubt about that. I've got two teenagers, both at secondary school. I don't really want to disrupt them until I have to. And that's important, my family's really important to me. But they know what could be coming and they're quite comfortable about it."

Cllr Hack is also keen to address health issues in the district. Photo: Dreamstime.com

Cllr Hack addressed what she considers to be some of the major issues in the constituency, with health high on the list.

She said: "We can't ignore that, in Leicestershire, one in 10 people are waiting for a procedure in the hospital. 

"It comes up on the doors more regularly. People are saying they're struggling, whether or not it's access to their local GP practitioners, or they're waiting for a hospital appointment. 

"The kind of conversations you have on the doors can be really personal, and actually, I think in some ways the, the pandemic has changed people's drive to want to speak to another human. 

"Those conversations have been really valuable. 

"I hear of struggles of parents getting their children into childcare, it comes up more in some places more readily than others. 

"Childcare as a sector has really struggled with the cost of living, we've seen a few closures, and we've certainly seen the massive increase in costs. 

"I get this, probably every three or four door knocks, I'll speak to parents who can't afford to go back to work full-time, because the cost of childcare is so prohibitive. 

"There's a real sense of making sure that Labour's message is starting to reach individuals in those particular ways. 

"Mental health comes up a bit more in terms of getting access for services. People are always encouraged when I can say, Labour have already committed to increasing mental health capacity. There are some real localised, quite unique, messages for individuals."

Cllr Hack knows North West Leicestershire is an expanding district in terms of both business and housing.

"People need homes, that's important. But what we need to make sure is infrastructure is planned for and delivered as part of those new homes, there is an added pressure that extra people create. There are some real challenges behind that.

"Because the other thing that you we can't fail to notice is how public services are really struggling. And it's how do you deal with all of those demands and pressures? That can be sometimes the some of the harder challenges. 

"Not being able to get a local GP appointment comes up all the time. But it's one of those things that's really local, just depends where you were in the constituency.

Cllr Hack also supports the re-opening of the Ivanhoe Line. Photo: CRIL

"But what will work for one area isn't going to work for another and that's going to be a really important part of my job as part of our manifesto."

Cllr Hack is aware that Westminster politics may have had an effect on voter preferences - which is why she is encouraged that Ashby is now a Labour-run town council.

She added: "We can feel so remote from Westminster. Whereas parish and town councils have got that real ability to do the local stuff. Which is exciting. These things can really happen at local level.

"Since 2015, politics has been a really difficult sell. For Labour, I don't think there's any secret that the doorsteps weren't that favourable to us. It was a hard slog, but it isn't like that anymore. People are really willing to talk to us, and they want to hear what we you know. It could be big ticket national politics, but they also want to talk to me about their bins. 

"The fact that I've been a local councillor for a long time, means you can immediately switch in to what that person needs from you as an individual? If I can't help, I'll know a person who can.

"There is a real sense that it's a team approach and a real team effort."

Cllr Hack also addressed the issue of law and order in the district.

She said: "There's a real sense that people would like to see more visible policing. And I think that that is certainly the the route of travel for the for Labour Party policy on criminal justice. 

"We need to make sure that retail staff are protected from being verbally abused while just doing their job

"I've started to have conversations with Co-op stores more generally, about how they're dealing with it along with Murrae Blair-Park, one of our district councillors in Ashby

"I was really fortunate I worked really closely with Lord Willy Bach, the previous Police and Crime Commissioner

"There has been an expansion of police officers in North West Leicestershire in recent years, but we are just about getting back to 2010 levels in absolute numbers, which is still a drop as the population has grown in that time. Labour has pledged a further 13,000 police and PCSOs to deliver well resourced neighbourhood policing.

"There's real sense of a drive back to toward community-led policing. Your visibility starts because of that. 

"Knowing that your police officer is going to be at the town council meeting gives you that sense that you can go and see an officer if you need to.

"There are some real community led solutions that could make a massive difference. That's going to be an important step forward.

"What do the communities need, what services, do they need a front desk police station? Or do they actually want the ability to be able to go and speak to a police officer if they need them? And I think that's it's probably the latter than the former."

There has also been cross-party support for the return of the Ivanhoe Line passenger rail service which, in its first phase, is set to link Coalville and Ashby to Derby, rather than Leicester.

Cllr Hack said: "If we could get the Ivanhoe line delivered in full straightaway, that'd be brilliant. Everybody wants that, don't they? 

"But we have to make sure that we're also realistic. What's really important is that we don't say 'we'd like the line delivered in full. And that's the only option on the table.'

"That'd be a bit of a worry. You know, I met Midlands Connect three times since September to try and get to the bottom of what is actually being expected of the outline business case. 

"Of course, we'd like it delivering in full, but I recognise the real issues. There are more complications from the line from Coalville to Leicester, in terms of land. I wouldn't want to stop progress. If we only get if I get part delivered with train stations in the constituency, that would be a massive step forward. 

"My position has always been that we'd love the Ivanhoe Line re-opening, but if we can get it to Coalville, we're halfway there."