First it was the Shadow Foreign Secretary, then the Leader, now the Shadow Chancellor -; three of Labour’s top politicians have been in Cambridge in the last fortnight to back Labour’s local election campaign. Ed Balls was in the city today, meeting shoppers and voters, and talking to people involved at the sharp end of job creation. In a 45 minute meeting hosted by Future Business, Ed heard from social enterprises, voluntary organisations and academics about the problems facing local business start-ups. He heard how small organisations struggle with bureaucracy and how others have moved from reliance on grant-funding to self-sufficiency through imaginative investment moves.

He heard from homeless organisations about the growing pressure on resources in the City as demand for services grow and he promised that Labour would recognise the opportunities offered by the co-operative and mutual sector, saying that he hoped to be the first Labour and Co-Operative chancellor.

Labour Parliamentary candidate Daniel Zeichner had invited the Shadow Chancellor to meet Future Business and says that he was well-received:

“Ed Balls knows his brief and understands the issues facing people trying to create jobs. On the high street he connects with voters who are finding their living standards squeezed. This is the fourth time Ed has visited Cambridge in the last couple of years and we expect to see him back again soon as he understands how important Cambridge is to driving the UK’s economic recovery.”