Portrait of a town as Rotherham votes

Dawn Wright was taken into care by Rotherham social services as a child and her family has had issues with the department since, which have left her highly critical. The Labour council is to hold an inquiry into the workings of children's social care.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

The town has a growing number of nationalists who adopt mililtary-stye clothing and patriotism as a cultural identity. They are angry at lack of employment, dwindling resources, and what they perceive as unfair immigration and social polies.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

An inquiry into the 1984/5 Miners' Strike's 'battle of Orgreave' has been promised but for miners like Ken Radford, it is too little too late. Their communities have been blighted by unemployment, illness and despair since heavy industry shed thousands of jobs in the 1990s. Ken's son, aged 25, has worked for a total of three years in entry level jobs. His benefits were recently stopped as it was felt he was not trying sufficiently hard to obtain employment.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

Labour voters in Rotherham have felt increasingly disenfranchised and many say they are not intending to vote. The UKIP fostering controversy, allegations around sex grooming, and Denis MacShane's expenses fraud have damaged faith in the party.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

Maria is a Bosnian Roma who relies on selling the Big Issue to feed her five children. She receives no benefits or financial assistance. Many others have left because of poverty and fear of insult or assault.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

Bruno Akano has been in the UK for three years and is legally married to a British citizen. They would like to return to his country of origin, but fear that if they did, he would be killed.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

Asylum seekers are either given permission to remain or classed as 'refused' when their citizenship application is processed. If refused, no benefits, housing or assistance is provided and this Iranian man is totally reliant on charity to survive. He is pictured with volunteers from the Refugee Drop-In Centre in Rotherham.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

Mahroof Hussain hit the headlines when Labour members walked out in protest at the party's failure to select him to fight the byelection. A local councillor, he founded Rotherham's One Town One Community which works to get different groups to engage with one another.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

The Eastwood district is one of the poorest areas in the UK with a large ethnic population. Residents say that since the English Defence League marched through Rotherham earlier this year, tensions have increased.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

A lonely show of posters in the Wingfield district, a former Labour stronghold. In May's local elections, the BNP candidate scored 28% of the ward's vote.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

British Asian communities perceive an increase in racial tension in the town following allegations around sex grooming. Many women in particular stay at home when right wing protests are held, for fear of violence.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

A small group meeting in Rotherham to discuss the issues facing their community. All the children shown are members of the same family, related through marriage.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian

Only 8% of the population in Rotherham is from an ethnic minority background, but there is a large refugee population. The Home Office relocates asylum seekers and around 1800 refugees live in Rotherham. Groups have their own churches in community halls - here is the Pastor of the Congolese Church and some of his congregation who hold services in French with African music.
Photograph: Ann Czernik for the Guardian