Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was back in Cheshire yesterday (Thursday) and his message for the people of Bollington was clear – if you want change, you have to vote for it.

And a second interview has been published with the media yesterday.

Nub News quizzed the Labour leader about housing, which you can read on this link.

This morning, the answers to the Local Democracy Reporting Service's interview with the potential future PM has been published.

(Image - Local Democracy Reporting Service)

The Labour leader told the assembled crowds: "Every vote has to be earned. We can't take anything for granted. The polls do not predict the future."

He outlined manifesto pledges including an extra 40,000 NHS appointments a week, more teachers in schools, 13,000 neighbourhood police on the streets and setting up GB Energy, a publicly owned energy company.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked how Labour would help cash-strapped councils fund services such as adult social care and special educational needs provision.

Just this week Cheshire East Council said it would have to ask more families of elderly people in costly care homes to pay 'top-up' fees.

(Image - Local Democracy Reporting Service)

Mr Starmer said: "We need to build a national care service. We need to start with the staff.

"We will have a fair pay agreement for all staff across the care sector so we can support those care homes and care staff.

"We need to make sure that people can be cared for at home where they can, which is where most people want their care so that has to be a core principle."

He said a national care service would provide the care that people need and families desperately want.

As well as speaking to the media, he also gave a five-minute speech to Labour members.

"It also takes a huge pressure off the NHS, which at the moment, is unable to discharge people as quickly as they would like into the community because the social care isn't there," said Mr Starmer.

"So this is what we will do, if we get the opportunity, and we'll make a start on this straight away."

Cheshire East is currently £80m overspent on its special needs budget and is facing a deficit in that area of £285m by the end of 2030/31.

The LDRS asked how a Labour government would help deal with this.

He visited The Vale Inn, on Bollington's Adlington Road. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

Mr Starmer said: "I'm not going to pretend I've got a magic wand."

He said Labour would have to work to rebuild the economy.

"On special needs, we will have to get to grips with this early, because it's a really serious issue for people here and now," he said.

"I think we can do that, working with social care, working with the health service, working with local authorities.

It is six days until Macclesfield heads to the polls. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

"I think there are some ways in which we can take the burden off local authorities in terms of the way in which they're funded, the structure of their funding settlement."

He said many councils were paying for people who have been evicted through no fault evictions.

"We're going to end no fault evictions, and of course, when we stabilize the economy, that will bring the inflation risk down for councils," he said.

"So I'm not going to pretend that, on day one, we can fix everything, but we will roll up our sleeves and make a start and ease the pressure on local authorities across the country, but around here in particular, they're under a lot of pressure."

Logos representing the seven candidates standing in the General Election for Macclesfield on July 4. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

The general election will take place on July 4.