Life and issues in two Hull areas which changed hands…

Local elections in Hull this year saw a total of four council seats change hands as voters in those wards opted for a change. Although elections are often talked of in terms of political campaigns and party loyalties, on the ground day-to-day issues like parking, traffic, housing and antisocial behaviour are often deciding factors. People in Derringham, in west Hulll, and University, in north Hull, spoke to LDRS following the polls about the issues that matter most in their areas. Derringham switched from the Liberal Democrats to Labour while the reverse was true in University. Despite opting for opposing parties, many of the issues on local people's minds were not too dissimilar. READ MORE: Hull's Liberal Democrat administration unveils council Cabinet picks as Labour hails local elections showing Hull City Council local election results in full as Labour claim Liberal Democrats are 'on notice' Derringham Derringham is in the west of Hull and covers the area roughly from Willerby Road to the East Riding border south of Cottingham. Labour's George Grozav won one of its three vacant seats this year with around 50 per cent of the vote, 1,251. The previous Liberal Democrat councillor Dave Woods stood down this year. Turnout was almost 27.9 per cent compared to 21.43 per cent across Hull overall. The parade of shops in Wold Road, in the Derringham ward of Hull (Image: LDRS) 'It would be nice if there was more community spirit' Elaine Milne, who grew up in Derringham and moved back five years ago, said she liked the area but would like to see its former community atmosphere return. She said: “Parking is an issue in this area and the works they're doing on the roads have caused some problems, it's blocked off part of Wold Road and Coventry Road. “We also get cars speeding up and down Wold Road sometimes, particularly on a night. The people are friendly enough here, I know my neighbours quite well. “I think it would be nice if there was more community spirit here and if people helped each other out more, that's what it used to be like years ago. But people have to work more and don't have as much time on their hands now. “I grew up here and I lived here until I was 19, I came back to look after my dad, he's 92 now. I didn't hear much from the previous councillor but I'm not too bothered about local politics myself.” 'The last couple of years have been tough' Darren Specks, owner of the D&S Specks shop in Wold Road, said the rising cost of living in recent years had made business difficult for him. Mr Specks said: “From a business owner's perspective there's been an obvious decline in the area over the years. “There's a distinct lack of footfall in this row of shops and that's been a major factor in trade not being good. Prices have gone up which have caused us some issues, at the wholesalers where I go they charge £2 for a cauliflower for instance but people can get them in the supermarket for £1. “Other big issue for us is parking in front of the shop, you've got about six cars which are there most of the time which belong to residents or the shop owners. That means that if someone just wants to quickly stop and run in for something they can't. “The good thing for us is that we get a lot of regulars, a lot of people know me and I've built up a good rapport with them. But our bills have also gone up for the shop, we used to pay £300-a-month for electricity now it's about £800. “And we still have to try and keep our prices competitive, the last couple of years has been tough. Other than that it's very neighbourly around here, things like antisocial behaviour aren't massive issues and when it does happen it tends to just be an isolated incident here or there but nothing that causes any concern. “I don't vote. To be honest I've never seen my local councillo
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