Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Ian Sollom praise St Neots Citizen Hub as ‘inspirational’

During a visit to St Neots on Saturday 2 March, Lib Dem Leader Sir Ed Davey met partners and users of the town’s Citizen Hub as well as small business owners.

At the Citizen Hub, Ed Davey met Chair of the St Neots Initiative Alex Hughes, Katy Davies of Evolve Your Future, Justin Leigh of Walk and Talk 4 Men, Sam Claussen from Money Advice St Neots and the young people of The Future Board of the St Neots Initiative, among other passionate members of St Neots Initiative.

Ed then toured the town centre, meeting those running several businesses, including Floored by Ian, Bohemia, Welch Bakes and Art & Soul Café.Ed concluded his visit at Paines Mill, meeting manager Louise and resident Peter and hearing about the challenges faced by young people in need of supported accommodation.

Ed Davey said,

"I spent an enlightening morning in St Neots on Saturday, seeing the work that takes place at the Citizen Hub and meeting dynamic small businesses based in the town. ’The St Neots Citizens Hub stands as an inspiration for communities across the country. It provides a supportive home for many social initiatives, from well-targeted skills training to activities that support services for mental health and food banks. Key to its success is that it puts the community itself at the heart of all it does. I hope to see many similar initiatives.

"My discussions with those involved show just how fragile our public services are at the moment. The Tory government is failing to respond to the current pressures, which is leaving too many people behind.

"I also heard from some of the fantastic businesses in the town about the challenges that they are facing, such as high energy bills and their customers’ ever tighter budgets. Small businesses like these a crucial to the resilience and vitality of the community of St Neots.

"It is clear that people in St Neots want to see an MP who really cares about this area. Ian Sollom lives in St Neots with his family and wants to make sure that the town gets the investment and support it deserves."

Ian Sollom said,

"It has been a privilege to be able to support Citizen Hub as it develops. It is providing vital services to our community.

"People in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire have been let down by a Conservative Government that just doesn’t care.

"As a local resident, I do care – I have made St Neots my home and I will stand up for the town and the whole constituency.

"As MP for this area, I will be fighting for a fair deal for our NHS services and for our schools."

Alex Hughes said,

"It is crucial as our membership of citizens and local organisations grow that we can ensure they have a voice that is listened to, it was a fantastic experience for those that engaged in the visit from Sir Ed and the feedback was that they felt listened to. There is so much positive energy and drive from the community of St Neots to see it have the best future possible and we were happy to share our perspective on that optimism.

"Thank you to Ian for reaching out and we welcome further engagement from any political party that wants to hear directly from our citizen members."