EADT and Ipswich Star launch 'Your Money Matters' campaign as costs rise

Increased financial pressures are taking their toll on every single person in this region and therefore today we are committing to do even more to help you through it.

As part of this newspaper's 'Your Money Matters' campaign our manifesto reads as follows:

• This newspaper will commit increased resources to cover the cost-of-living crisis.
• Our reporters will tell as many of your stories as we can, sharing both your struggles and solutions during this crisis.
• We pledge not just to report ways people are being affected – but to help find practical solutions to ease the burden.
• We will identify and highlight areas in which people are being treated unfairly and campaign for changes where needs be.
• We will highlight ways people can financially support others living on the breadline.
• We will support local firms to highlight their struggles and how they are trying to help consumers save money.
• Through money-off offers and deals in the newspaper and online we will aim to do our bit to help.

Brad Jones, editor of the EADT and Ipswich Star, said: "This issue is affecting everybody and the impact could last for years.

"Our pledge today is that our newspapers will do what they can to highlight problems and provide practical solutions to ease the burden where possible."

Over the next few weeks, we will run a series of articles focusing on various aspects of the cost of living crisis.

Our reporters, features and business writers and investigations teams will work to ensure we really get under the skin of the issue.

Nicky Willshere, chief executive at Citizens Advice Ipswich, said the situation was the worst she had seen in nearly 30 years of working in the sector.

"It's affecting more people," she said. "There are always people who are in a bad situation and need support, but it's now affecting more and more of the population.

"People who work, normal families are going to be impacted.

"It's a real concern, the speed at which it's going. I can't see the end of it."

Citizens Advice Ipswich chief executive Nicky Willshere (Image: Lucy Taylor)

She recently took a call from a single mother who was sharing a bed with her five children to stay warm at night as they could not afford to put the heating on.

"That's not a one-off situation," she said. "This is to give an example of how bad it is.

"We're talking sensible people who are getting everything that they're entitled to. They're on Universal Credit, they're working part-time, they're doing everything that everybody else is.

"And we're doing everything we can, but it feels like a drop in the ocean."

Rev Nic Stuchfield, chairman of Suffolk Coastal Debt Centre, welcomed this newspaper's campaign.

Rev Stuchfield said he had seen more people turn to food banks and the debt centre for help in recent months.

He said: "We see more people coming to us with debt problems generally.

"But it won't affect everybody in the same way. It depends critically on the household circumstances of the person or family concerned and what their income potential is and what their expenditure looks like."

As part of the campaign, we would like to hear people's personal experiences as to how the crisis has impacted them. You can fill in a reader survey on the subject below.

Or if you have a story related to the campaign please email eadtnewsdesk@archant.co.uk.

If you're struggling, you can speak to your local Citizens Advice centre on 0800 0683131, if you specifically want help with debts you can reach a local debt centre on 0800 3280006.