18 May 2021 | Posted In Money advice news

Yorkshire Building Society is teaming up with Citizens Advice to launch a pilot scheme where Citizens Advice advisers will be available in branches.

The six Yorkshire Building Society branches running the nine-month pilot scheme are Barnsley, Castleford, Leeds, Rothwell, Wakefield and York. The advisers will offer to support members of the public with a range of issues, including financial well-being, in appointment slots up to an hour long.

The Citizens Advice appointments will be free and confidential, and available one or two days a week in each trial location. The appointments are open to everyone in the community, not just Yorkshire Building Society customers.

Mike Regnier, chief executive of Yorkshire Building Society, said:

“The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the challenges many people face around financial wellbeing, employment and skills. We are committed to enhance existing initiatives and establish new schemes to help people of all ages and stages of life with financial resilience.

“This trial partnership with Citizens Advice is a great initiative for both organisations to be able to increase the offering of face-to-face support to some of our communities. This pilot forms part of £1m in additional investment that we are using to help target those who need it most.”

“We’re really proud to be advancing an agenda which will support people who find themselves in difficult circumstances and to be able to offer extra support that can make a difference to people when they really need it.”

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“The last year has shown how important it is that people can access advice. Across the country our advisers helped 18 people every minute during the pandemic. We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Yorkshire Building Society to ensure that even more people can get the advice they need, when and where they need it.”