How the people of Droylsden feel ahead of local elections

For years Droylsden town centre has been crying out for investment. It is on the brink of change, but that change isn’t coming fast enough for locals.

The shopping precinct at the heart of the town is dominated by the empty, ominous and infamous Concord Suite. Built in the 1970s, the landmark was used as a base of operations for the defunct Droylsden council and served as a venue for community events, dances and exhibitions.

In recent years it has been sitting empty and lifeless – acting as a physical metaphor for how many locals see their town. But the reshaping of the Droylsden depends on how this building can be redeveloped.

Currently there are three options available – refurbish, part-demolish and refurbish or a complete demolition and rebuild into something new. Once this is done, the revamped Concord Suite would connect to the marina via a new canal path and park under the new vision for the town.
The Droylsden masterplan also includes the makeover of the town squares and the creation of exhibition and event spaces. Tameside council leader Eleanor Wills likened their plan for Droylsden Square to Hebden Bridge, an idyllic town in the Pennines.

In theory the proposal would be a game changer for Droylsden, but currently there is no cash to get it done. With fellow Tameside towns of Ashton, Stalybridge and Denton all seeing an influx of investment recently, the people of Droylsden feel left behind.

To understand how the locals felt about their town and it could sway their vote at the impending local election, the Local Democracy Reporting Service headed down to Droylsden. Their desire for change came across loud and clear. Some felt voting Reform could bring about this change, others felt voting for a community-focused candidate was the way forward. One man, who lives on a boat in that marina, is fed up with the lack of change in the town where he grew up. Clive Stoddart moved away with his various jobs in holiday parks across the country, but has returned in recent years to an unrecognisable hometown.

The 66-year-old said: “I’m a Reform man, I have been since they started because of their stance on immigration. I can see it impacts Droylsden.
“Services are well overrun. So I think Reform will get a lot of support this time around.

“My brother just came here from Mossley and he was horrified by what he’s seeing here. The Concord Suite used to be buzzing when I was here.
“This place used to be buzzing. I don’t know what’s holding Droylsden back, I think the younger generation just accept it as it is because they’ve not seen what it was.

“I think the community is broken now, I’m not sure what could get people interested in local politics now.”
Another local said he’s voting Reform to send a message to the Labour Party nationally.
The pensioner said: “I think Starmer will get hammered this time. I don’t believe in Reform but I’m going to vote for them to give Starmer a kick up the arse.

“I know a lot of people that will be doing that as well. Younger people said the same thing and they said to go for them in the general. In Droylsden we’re shortchanged.”

Rev Colin Sanderson was on his way to get a coffee at Sparrows – supporting one of the few local businesses keeping Droylsden going. The former Congleton Parish Priest accepted the town centre needed change, but didn’t believe voting in Reform was the way to do it.
Pointing at the half-derelict Concord Suite, Colin said: “This monstrosity needs to be sorted doesn’t it. They’re going to have to think about what to do with it.

“When I first came there was a charity shop in October 2024 but that closed very quickly.
“I’ve applied for a postal vote this year. I look at what the plans they have on the leaflets. The Labour man lives in the area and he seems okay.
“I think bringing in reform would be a mistake. A lot of their ideas are not okay.”

In the council chamber, Droylsden politicians have also been banging the drum for change. Fixing the town clock was repeatedly mentioned by councillors Ann Holland, Barrie Holland and Ged Cooney.

The clock was eventually sorted out, but the trio of veteran councillors wanted to see more follow this small-scale revamp. The Labour leadership have promised that Droylsden is next in line for investment and a plan is in place.

Sourcing the cash to get it done is proving to be the biggest challenge to achieve this ambition. There has been some movement over at the marina though, with the council selling off the former Lock Keepers Court site.

This land sale has unlocked a scheme to bring 160 new affordable homes, a pocket park, community hub and pedestrian-friendly streets. According to the council, the project would bring much-needed affordable homes as well as improve the look and feel of Droylsden’s town centre.
Homes within the development would be built around a smart, connected layout linking Manchester Road and the marina. There is also hope of opening up the Manchester Road underpass in the future as well.

This could be too little too late for Labour, who didn’t get a good write up from many in the town.
The people of Droylsden are not alone in their desire for change in the council hierarchy. A number of people across Tameside are leaning towards a protest vote. When the LDRS went to Hyde recently, many said Labour had become complacent and needed a shock this time around.

Labour were given a mini shock last year when Reform UK’s Allan Hopwood romped to victory in the Longdendale council by-election, previously a safe Labour seat. Coun Hopwood was the first Reform politician to win an election in Greater Manchester – and he was confident he was the first of many.

There is expected to be a crunch vote in Tameside this time around, with a mathematical possibility of Labour losing overall control of the council – although this is unlikely. A political party needs 29 seats out of 57 to have a majority, so Labour would need to lose 10 of their 14 seats and make no gains elsewhere to lose overall control of the council.