“This is the worst ward anywhere in the whole country. After 9, 10 o’clock, this is the Bronx. You cannot walk down the street here,” says Reform UK’s Mark Butcher while standing in the Claremont area of Blackpool.

His comparison with the infamous New York neighbourhood is intended to suggest Claremont, which includes a large part of Blackpool town centre, is riddled with crime, arson and poverty.

As political campaigning goes, it is perhaps not what you would expect from a candidate keen to win over local voters.

On Thursday, Butcher is hoping to become the fifth Reform member of Blackpool council in a by-election triggered by the death of Labour veteran Ivan Taylor.

The race in a bellwether Red Wall town will serve as a test of where both Reform and Labour find themselves at national level following a turbulent few months.

Has the shine worn off Nigel Farage’s party in the wake of donations scandals, or will the extra cash boost their grassroots game? Is the Burnham bounce real? Are places such as Blackpool on a knife-edge between Labour and Reform, as polling suggests?

Standing for Labour in Claremont is Katie Donnelli-Hunn, a law graduate and caseworker in the House of Commons.

Butcher, a 57-year-old father of four, is a familiar face to many as founder of local soup kitchen Amazing Grace and director of at least 10 dissolved Blackpool businesses. He is also the twice-failed candidate to be Reform’s MP for Blackpool South.

The i Paper’s visit to Blackpool suggested that while voters may be increasingly suspicious of Reform, they remain far from convinced by Labour and are yet to buy into the “hope” Burnham has been promising at his party’s conference this week, around 40 miles away in Liverpool.

‘People want to go to town and not be scared’

Butcher’s comments about the alleged crime problems in Claremont were made in an interview with a YouTuber called T EXPLORE TV, one of several “independent media” figures who have popped up in Blackpool of late.

The seaside town remains the most deprived authority in England, with disproportionately high levels of drug and alcohol problems, poor quality housing, and low school attainment.

Any comparison with the Bronx is undoubtedly hyperbole – the Bronx accounts for about 20 per cent of New York City’s violent crime but only has 17 per cent of its population – but Butcher’s comments have clearly touched a nerve.

Blackpool’s crime rate – 156 offences per 1,000 residents – is well above the national average. An expert recently told The i Paper how it should be considered among a group of smaller cities and towns that are now experiencing gang crime normally associated with larger urban areas.

“Safety for children and the elderly,” said 65-year-old George Thomas when asked what should be the biggest priority for Claremont. “People want to go down town and not be scared.”

Thomas, who is vulnerable due to a number of health conditions, said he has twice been mugged, including an incident when a robber attacked him and stole his card while he was at a cash machine.

He also talked of seeing reports in the local media of stabbings and fires in the area.

Labour leaders have hit back at the idea Claremont is a “no go zone” and argued that certain locations in the ward, such as the train station and nightclubs, overinflate the figures.

But it is not surprising that a number of tragic incidents have clouded perceptions.

In July, two boys aged 13 and 19 died after a fire believed to have been caused by exploding e-bike battery.

Last month, a fire broke out on another street in Claremont, which led to several people being rescued from the building.

The property remains boarded up and blackened with charred belongings still sitting unclaimed outside.

A neighbour at the scene told The i Paper the blaze was started by a man attempting to take his own life.

“This place is full of crackheads,” he said.

‘The price of food is extortionate’

Burnham has spent much of his first few months as Prime Minister promising to give people “breathing space” amid difficult economic conditions sparked by the war in Iran.

Many of those in Claremont are at the sharp end of the crisis.

“I’m spending £50 a month on my electric meter,” said Thomas. “I’ve got to go without electric and gas, or without food. I get the same amount of shopping and before you know it’s gone up £15 a week, everything has gone up so much.

“The council are taking me to court for unpaid council tax.”

A former Labour voter, Thomas says he now agrees with more of Reform’s policies, especially when it comes to immigration.

But he is still not sure who he will vote for in the by-election, adding: “I don’t know which way to turn.”

At Buttylicious café, owner Tracey Litherland says she also has mixed feelings about the Claremont contest.

She gives food parcels to needy families via the local community centre and says demand has never been higher.

“My car normally costs £55 to fill up and a few days ago it was £81,” said Litherland. “That’s an extra £104 a month right away I’ve got to find. The price of food is extortionate and I don’t think we educate people enough on how to make things last.”

Litherland tells a story of how a woman in her 70s began staying in her café all day because she lost her Winter Fuel Allowance under Labour’s changes in 2024 and couldn’t afford to heat her home.

Chris Webb, the Labour MP, has been responsive and “made a difference”, says Litherland.

However, she agreed to let Paula Brooksbank, the candidate for Rupert Lowe’s hard-right party Restore, leave campaign leaflets in her café.

“She was nice, she was talking to customers,” said Litherland. “I just want someone to invest in the area, I honestly don’t care who it is.”

‘They all make promises – but will it come true?’

Amie, a 21-year-old mum who recently moved to the area, said she finds Claremont a pleasant place to live, although the playground where she brings her young son could do with refurbishment.

“I heard before I moved here that it was bad for some problems,” she said. “But everyone has been dead nice.”

Amie said her biggest concern is employment opportunities. Her partner works at a Greggs factory and she used to work on the rides at Blackpool Pier, but like many jobs in the area, it was seasonal.

She says she could be persuaded by Reform, but she remains unsure “what they stand for”.

“I’ve had leaflets through the door promising they’re going to clean the place up,” she added. “They all say they will do this and do that – is there actually much chance it will come true?”

Patsy, in her 70s, is similarly sceptical about politicians. She says she might have been “swayed” by Reform, but believes Butcher’s comments about Claremont have unfairly damaged the reputation of the area.

She is also positive about Labour’s new Prime Minister. “Things are beginning to move in Blackpool. We’re getting more regeneration and I think Burnham will push it a lot more,” she added.

Brian Dudley, 89, is another voter whose attention has been caught by the switch of Labour leader, particularly his promise to fix social care for the elderly.

“I think Burnham is doing a good thing,” said Dudley, a former wholesaler. “When my wife had Alzheimer’s I looked after her for three years. It was terrible – she would try and get out the car on the motorway. Eventually they said ‘we’ve got to put her in a home’. It can cost £1,500 a week.

“I would vote Burnham – the Government needs to help people.”

Neither Reform nor Butcher responded to a request for comment from The i Paper. Speaking to T about his comments, he said: “When I compared conditions in Claremont to ‘the Bronx’, it was a forceful metaphor referring to the documented levels of crime, anti-social behaviour and environmental neglect affecting parts of the ward.

“It was not intended to insult residents. My criticism is directed at the problems residents are being forced to endure and the authorities’ failure to address them – not at the people of Claremont.”