Catalan parties talk of separation, but for voters, health is the priority

In today's election, public services are a huge concern for the people as politicians debate independence

Much has changed in Poblenou over the past four years - not least the arrival of a pandemic that has devastated tourism and employment - but the people of the traditional working-class barrio in the north of Barcelona are struggling with a nagging sense of deja vu over Sunday's regional election.

All the talk is about independence but what most of us want from politicians is to solve social problems," says Nuria Vallejo, a doctor working in the public sector who has lived in the neighbourhood for 20 years. Number one is the health crisis, and then there's the education system and questions of sustainability."