Yorkshire Building Society and Citizens Advice

Client: Citizens Advice

Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) is a mutual organisation whose purpose, Real Help with Real Lives, is embedded within its strategy. In 2020 YBS invested £1.8 million to expand its community programmes and identify innovative interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic turbulence has highlighted the real challenges many people face with an increasing number of households finding keeping up with domestic bills and credit commitments a burden (FCA, 2022). Against this backdrop, to help deliver positive change via YBS’ community programme, Citizens Advice was identified as a delivery partner to offer an immediate lifeline to people in need. As a result, YBS collaborated with Citizen Advice (CA) to fund their advisers to hold free, independent, confidential and impartial appointments in YBS branches for both YBS members and the general public, initially in a pilot scheme covering six locations. 2023 has seen the partnership expand across the country with the service now being offered in 46 branches. In 2023 alone, the partnership has supported 3,791 people and almost £1.5m of expected additional income has been unlocked for the people it has helped.