Over the border and far away ... politics in the cities, shires and mill towns of England

Oldham, Greater Manchester, is just 170 miles further north of Cambridge but a world away in terms of affluence, ethnicity and politics.

It was recently named the most deprived town in Britain by the Office for National Statistics, which based its figures on income, employment, health, crime, education, housing and disability.

The town is solidly and historically Labour - in the local elections, the party held all of its seats - 15 out of a total of 21 - as well as retaining its mayoral stronghold.

Meanwhile in London, Sadiq Khan is settling into his first week as Mayor of London after a bruising battle not just to win the Labour party nomination but to win it against what has been widely perceived as an anti-Muslim campaign by the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith.

While the local and mayoral elections were not exactly a resounding endorsement for Jeremy Corbyn, they did not amount to a career-ending disaster either for the English Labour leader.

UKIP made gains in previously weak areas - Wales, Cornwall, the North-west - while the newest kid on the block - the Women's Equality Party - failed to take a single seat.

So what do people on the streets of Cambridgeshire and Oldham think about the outcome? And are Scottish politics having any effect on the way people south of the border have voted - and might vote in next month's EU referendum?

Paul Bullen is a UKIP county councillor in Cambridgeshire but lost his other seat as a district councillor. A retired RAF officer, he is viscerally anti-EU - and is also angrily anti-Conservative.

"I have to say I think politics has become very corrupt in this country and the Tories are totally out of touch with ordinary people on the street," the father of three said. "I have filed a complaint about campaign overspending by the Conservatives in my constituency but I know nothing will be done about it. The Conservative politicians here are all in it for the money and career rather than for principle and public service.

"It's a strange world where I actually have more admiration for Jeremy Corbyn than I do for David Cameron. At least Corbyn has principles and stands up for what he believes in - I don't think Cameron or any of the Tories do that."

And what does he think of politics north of the border? "Well, I found it strange that so many Scottish people wanted to be independent from the UK but still wanted to remain part of the EU. Either you want independence or you don't. But that's up to them. I think the [EU vote] will be very very close in England. The same politics of fear are being used that were employed during the Scots vote."

Education consultant Sarah Johnson, 57, lives in a picturesque village near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire - former constituency of the former PM John Major.

She voted Labour in the local elections and is a staunch Corybn-ite. Her major concerns are about public spending cuts, the drive towards academies in education and the lack of Government response to the refugee crisis.

"I do think Corbyn could be a real challenge to UKIP because he is like the left-wing Nigel Farage - he will appeal to white, working class men who have a sense of injustice about what is happening in the country right now.

"He may not have done brilliantly in the local elections but he has galvanised the Labour membership and made politics interesting again. It's sad that Labour has been so punished in Scotland for supporting the [No] campaign in the [Scotttish] referendum but I think Corbyn might change that because voters will see him as someone they can support."

In Oldham, it's hard to find someone who didn't vote for Labour. Andy Donley, editor of the independent news website Mancunian Matters, which covers Oldham and the Greater Manchester region, says: "There weren't many surprises in the local elections here.

"Despite turmoil on a national scale within the Labour Party it would have taken something seismic to shake the region's faith in Labour – or to change their dislike of the Tories."

But Donley said it was surprising that Labour didn't make actual gains in Oldham, given the savagery of Government spending cuts to the poorest in society.

And while UKIP may have not gained any seats, it did increase its share of the vote in several wards, with some strong second places.

Donley said: "It's hard to tell what the reason behind this is. Jeremy Corbyn's left-wing politics may not be ideal to take seats off the Tories in traditionally conservative areas of the country, but you would think that if they had a home, it would be in the North West.

"From stories that we have done with Corbyn, it wouldn't seem as though Manchester has strong feelings towards him either way. Perhaps this is the problem – traditional Labour voters will vote red regardless, but Corbyn doesn't seem to be providing borderline voters with a reason to back him.

"There is a sense that UKIP are seen as the working man's right-wing option in Greater Manchester. Issues such as terrorism and migration have probably worked in their favour, and fed the concerns of a minority of working-class people, who may at times be more vulnerable to UKIP's rhetoric. However, it would still be a massive surprise if UKIP actually started taking seats off Labour in significant quantities.

In London, the political divide is even more stark, Paul Nunn, 42, a quantity surveyor, is quite happy to loudly express his dismay at having an "Islamic mayor" and darkly predicts that Sharia Law will be "the norm" in the city before long.

But in the same south London pub, Claire Shaw, 30, says: "I think it's brilliant we have elected Khan. Zac Goldsmith is just another rich Tory born with a silver spoon in his mouth and most people I know hated how racist the campaign got. He lost because of that and I'm glad he did."

While the main parties are all claiming victory in one sense or the other, one group is celebrating even despite a glaring loss. The Women's Equality Party failed to gain a single seat - but did poll 350,000 votes in total.

Co-founder Catherine Mayer says she is "ecstatic" about the result and says Nicola Sturgeon has helped forge a new type of politics.

"For us, it was about getting gender issues on the agenda," she says. "During the campaign we didn't get upset when other candidates started copying out policies or statements.

"We don't want adverserial politics. One of the great images from the last general election was of Nicola Sturgeon, Natalie Bennett and Leanne Wood embracing at one of the debates.

"It showed how you can be rivals without being enemies. We may not have won a seat but we can change the face of politics."