Craig Whittaker MP visits award-winning Citizens Advice partnership helping local community with the cost-of-living

• Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker visited Yorkshire Building Society’s Brighouse branch on Friday to learn how the Society’s award-winning partnership with Citizens Advice is supporting local people with advice and support.
• More than 1,800 people across Yorkshire and the North West have so far benefited from the partnership where Citizens Advice advisers are available one or two days a week in the Society’s branches, including in Brighouse, to support members of the public with a range of issues, including financial well-being.
• Yorkshire Building Society was the first UK financial services provider to offer this in person one-to-one service across locations.

Craig Whittaker MP visited Yorkshire Building Society’s branch in Brighouse on Friday to hear how an innovative partnership with Citizens Advice is supporting local people with the cost-of-living. The Calder Valley MP met local staff from the Society who told him how important the partnership is proving in offering assistance to households in Brighouse and the surrounding area.

Yorkshire Building Society funds Citizens Advice advisers to hold free, confidential appointments at least one day a week across 18 locations, including Brighouse. The appointments are open to everyone, not only Yorkshire Building Society customers. The Citizens Advice advisers offer independent and impartial advice in private meeting rooms to assist people with a wide range of issues, including financial well-being.

Of the 1,800 people assisted through the partnership, more than three in five (64%) people needed help with benefits, tax credits and universal credit.

Each hour-long appointment is free, confidential and can be booked directly by contacting a participating branch or visiting www.ybs.co.uk/citizens-advice.

Speaking after his visit, Craig Whittaker MP said:

I was really pleased to hear how Yorkshire Building Society has teamed up with Citizens Advice to assist the local community in Brighouse. This innovative partnership is a commendable example of a charity and local business working together to address the challenges faced by households.

Peter Jowett, Branch Manager at Yorkshire Building Society in Brighouse, said:

The current economic climate, with rising inflation and enormous energy bills, means that many local households are increasingly concerned about their financial wellbeing.

By working hand-in-hand with Citizens Advice here in Brighouse, we’ve increased the availability of support for worried households at a time when many people find themselves needing help for the first time. So far, across Yorkshire and the North West, our partnership has already supported more than 1,800 people in local communities and hopefully we’ll be able to reach many more.

Liz Horne, Operations Manager at Citizens Advice Calderdale, said:

Our partnership with Yorkshire Building Society is proving to be vital as more and more people come to us for assistance. The YBS team in Brighouse have been fantastic advocates of our partnership and we really value the opportunity to work with them to support our local community.

The 18 Yorkshire Building Society locations running the scheme are Ashton-Under-Lyne, Barnsley, Bolton, Brighouse, Castleford, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Rothwell, Sheffield, Stockport, Wakefield and York.

For more information on this innovative partnership and details of participating branches please visit www.ybs.co.uk/citizens-advice