Government action to improve job and apprenticeship opportunities, local business investment and better transport were key priorities for the less well off looking for a change in the country’s political direction after Brexit. “Any politicians seeking to lead our country must urgently prioritise those domestic issues that drove many voters to choose to leave the EU in the first place,” the report added. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a social policy research charity, and UK In A Changing Europe, an independent think tank, commissioned ComRes to study the post-Brexit hopes of low income voters in deprived areas.

Published last night, the report showed the voters were disillusioned, distrusted politicians and frustrated by the lack of progress on the domestic issues that matter to them.

Many wanted their communities to receive a “fair share” of investment from the Government and business to encourage vibrant local economies and thriving high streets.

“An ambitious policy offer could deliver electoral dividends,” the report said.

“Making sure the interests and concerns of the most deprived members of society are at the centre of any Brexit settlement is a crucial part of building the just and compassionate society we all want.

“Not only is this the right thing to do, but it is also a strategy that can deliver electoral advantage.”

Low-income voters were becoming increasingly influential in general elections, according to the report.

“Not only are they turning out to vote in greater numbers, but they are also the group most likely to switch party.

“While Brexit is an important issue for low-income voters, for most of them, taking action on living standards is the most significant issue driving their voting choices.

“The last general election saw the Conservatives’ share of the vote increase more in areas that faced relative economic decline in the last decade, with Labour’s vote share increasing more in areas that have performed better.

“Both the main parties need to focus on winning over low-income voters in disadvantaged areas if they are going to form the next government.”

Voters in the survey wanted better living standards, training that led to better career prospects and help to ensure towns and cities can thrive.

Key concerns repeatedly raised during the research included rising crime, shabby public spaces with high levels of litter, a lack of green space, little opportunity for work and leisure for young people, isolation and loneliness among older people and a lack of community.

“The biggest barrier to economic security was the need for better job opportunities.

“Participants discussed two ways of delivering them: greater investment to attract businesses to the area and more support for local businesses,” the report said.

“The low-income voters we spoke to expressed frustration at the state of the local labour market, with low pay and a lack of security coming to the fore.”

Concerns about the state of the local high street were also high in voters’ minds in the research.

“Participants saw the state of local high streets as a key indicator of the economic health of the area, and for many the signs were negative,” the report said.

“Even in the core cities of Leeds and Glasgow the state of the local high streets, rather than city centres, was an issue.

“There was significant concern about the number of empty shops and a strong desire to put them to good use as community spaces, housing or spaces for start-up businesses, if not as shops.

“Participants felt frustrated that their communities were not given the opportunity to influence or lead these changes.”

Voters in deprived towns and cities were also concerned that too many young people left their communities to go into higher education never to return.

“The need for alternatives to university for young people was a theme running across the workshops.

“To many participants, going to university was seen as saddling young people with debt and stripping the area – and local economy – of skilled workers, as those leaving for university rarely returned.

“They wanted to see alternatives that would provide young people with the skills that could lead to a good job in the local area,” the report said.

It added: “Creating apprenticeships in sectors where there is a local shortage of workers was highlighted as a way that they could be made more appealing, along with ensuring a guaranteed job at the end of an apprenticeship.

“Low-income voters thought this would be a win-win situation for both employer and employee – getting a positive, motivated and well-trained employee who is paid properly for what they do.”

Credit: Macer Hall, express.co.uk