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Making the most of shops in the heart of Haverhill will become easier later this summer when a new Shopmobility scheme opens in the town.

The move comes after a Haverhill Shopmobility Partnership Group was set up late last year to look into the possibility of introducing a scheme. The group was made up of representatives from St Edmundsbury, Haverhill Town Council, 3CT Transport, the Haverhill Volunteer Centre and HAVO, and examined the benefits, costs, feasibility, location and management arrangements of setting up a scheme.

A study carried out by the group showed there was a suitable demand for a Shopmobility scheme in Haverhill, which would be best located in the borough council’s offices in Lower Downs Slade. Current proposals are that the service will operate in a similar way to the scheme in Bury St Edmunds, where people who use it regularly pay a £5 registration fee and a £1 hire charge and those using it occasionally pay £3.50 for each use.

The plans were approved by the Haverhill Area Working Party last night and will be discussed by the council’s Cabinet in May. St Edmundsbury will spend around £30,000 setting up the scheme and a further £7700 on running costs for the first year. Haverhill Town Council has also agreed to contribute £2000 each year to the scheme.