Haverhill charity invites Prime Minister to visit town and hear residents' concerns
It's as the Prime Minister has a planned tour of communities across the UK, where he has pledged to listen to local people and focus on issues
A Haverhill charity has invited Prime Minister Andy Burnham to visit the town and hear first-hand about the challenges people are facing during the cost of living crisis.
REACH Community Projects has written an open letter to the Prime Minister, inviting him to Haverhill as part of his planned tour of communities across the UK, where he has pledged to listen to local people and focus on issues including the cost of living and the future of Britain's high streets.
In the letter, the charity says Haverhill reflects many of the challenges facing communities across the country, including rising living costs, housing pressures, financial hardship, mental health issues and struggling high streets.
REACH says it is seeing increasing financial pressures among the people it supports. Mr Wilson said the charity is helping more people who are struggling to afford everyday essentials, with unpaid utility bills and council tax now replacing the credit card debt that was more common when he first began working in debt advice two decades ago.
He also said more people in employment are now turning to the charity for help as household budgets come under increasing pressure.
"We're overlooked"
Chief Executive Henry Wilson said he wants the Prime Minister to see both the difficulties people face and the work being done locally to support them.
"Why not? We've called it 'Why wouldn't you visit Haverhill?' Often we're overlooked," he said. "We're living with the effects of the cost of living on a day-to-day basis here. We're seeing people who can't put food on the table. We're seeing people who can't pay their utility bills."
Mr Wilson said he believes Haverhill has much more to offer than its reputation sometimes suggests.
He described it as "an old-fashioned market town" with a strong sense of community, innovative businesses and organisations working together to improve residents' wellbeing.
"It's a good town with a rich history and huge potential for the future. It's not a place which is down on its uppers... we're actually doing something about it and looking to improve the wellbeing of our town," he said.
The charity's open letter says it supports people with emergency food, housing advice, debt support, benefit applications and financial education, while also helping people build longer-term financial resilience.
Mr Wilson said a visit from the Prime Minister would provide an opportunity not only to highlight the pressures facing local people but also to showcase the community's determination to address them.
"What an opportunity. If you want to see what the cost of living is like and how it's affecting ordinary local people... Haverhill isn't extreme, but it has its pockets," he said.
The letter concludes by asking the Prime Minister to visit the town, saying communities such as Haverhill "have been overlooked" for too long and deserve to have their voices heard.
We've approached Number 10 for comment.