A LABOUR front bencher made a visit to Worcester with the general election just over a week away.

Peter Dowd, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the party’s parliamentary candidate Lynn Denham took part in a fact finding exercise when they visited the Two Pennies money advice charity.

During the event, held at the charity’s base at the Angel Centre, Angel Place, the pair heard from the general manager Karen McConnell about the ongoing struggle of the charity to gain funding, and to help those in a financial crisis.

Mr Dowd said organisations like Two Pennies were crucial, and should have the funding to support its work, and Mrs Denham added the party’s manifesto had an offer to do this.

The charity, founded in 2002, sees on average 65 new people a year on top of existing clients.

After the event Mr Dowd told the Worcester News the campaign had been going well as it entered the last week. He said he had visited a number of marginal seats across the country and on doorsteps he said although the issue of Brexit had been mentioned, other issues had grabbed people’s attention.

“People have focused on the under performing hospital in an area like this, due to the years of underinvestment in the NHS,” he said.

“People have wanted to discuss local issues, and there are a huge range of issues.”

Mr Dowd said after nine years of austerity people had welcomed the transformative plan Labour was offering through its manifesto.

“The manifesto is out there, fully costed, and shows how we are going to spend money, and how we will are going to find it," he said.

Asked if the party could win a majority or what would happen in the event of a hung parliament, Mr Dowd added: "I'm not going into the election, looking to enter any coalition. I want us to win."