Disfranchised poor

I hope the Movement for Change ( Milibands shake hands on plan for 'army' of 10,000 activists , 26 January) will also concentrate on persuading the non-voters among the millions of people who are losing out in the recession – low-paid public servants, housing benefit claimants, single working mothers, 16- to 18-year-old school students and many more hard-hit groups – that it will be in their best interests to vote in future elections. Labour consistently fails to receive electoral support from the poorest and most disadvantaged, who too often stay at home, but who, if they did vote, would more likely vote Labour. This is an opportunity to refresh and expand Labour support. What the party must do in return is to devise policies which meet the needs and interests of those people. Gillian Dalley London