VOTERS in York are set to go to the polls next week in increased numbers for one of the most hotly contested General Elections in years.

A poll by The Press suggested more than 80 per cent of voters in the city centre will be turning out to vote on Thursday.

Of 100 people questioned in Parliament Street, 75 said they would definitely be voting, and a further eight said they would “probably” do so. Only 13 said they would not be voting and four said they didn’t know.

If those numbers translated into votes cast in the election, that would be a significant increase on the previous election turnout. Tony Blair won in 2005 on a national turnout of only 61.4 per cent, although that was an increase on 2001, when figures reached their lowest in the post-war era, at only 59.1 per cent.

For seats in North Yorkshire, the turnout was above the national average at 66.1 per cent in 2005, largely thanks to big turnouts in Scarborough and Whitby, and in Skipton and Ripon, but the now abolished City of York seat polled just 61.7 per cent.

Poor turnout was blamed on voter apathy and a belief that a Labour win was a certainty. It is thought that this year, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s surge in popularity after the televised debates and the proximity of the parties in the polls will bring participation back up to traditional post-war levels.

Some of the people polled said they had failed to vote last time around, but were voting this time because they felt more strongly about the election and that the television debates had got them interested.

Mark Scrine, 20, a student, of York, said: “I think there’s more interest because of the TV debates. It’s brought the issues to a wider audience and they’ve had a big impact on people.”

John Kelly, 47, who works for the Unite union, said: “Maybe people are more interested this year, but whether they will actually vote next week, I’m not so sure.”

Liz Speck, 57, a nurse, of York, said: “I can’t remember an election that people are as interested in as this one. I think the television debates have made people a bit more aware of the parties’ policies, rather than just having to watch party political broadcasts.”