Dan Jarvis MP visits award-winning Citizens Advice partnership as it helps households through cost-of-living crisis

• Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis visited Yorkshire Building Society’s branch on Cheapside on Friday to learn how the Society’s award-winning partnership with Citizens Advice is supporting local people through the cost-of-living crisis
• 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 Barnsley, 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

Dan Jarvis MP visited Yorkshire Building Society’s branch in Barnsley on Friday to hear how an innovative partnership with Citizens Advice is supporting local people through the cost-of-living crisis. The Barnsley Central MP met local staff from the Society who told him how vital the partnership is proving as households face growing financial worries.

Yorkshire Building Society funds Citizens Advice advisers to hold free, confidential appointments at least one day a week across 18 locations, including Barnsley. 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, Dan Jarvis MP said:

It was good to visit Yorkshire Building Society’s branch in Barnsley and learn more about how this important partnership with Citizens Advice has been providing local people with much needed face-to-face support from Citizens Advice advisors.

It’s a commendable example of a local business and a charity working together to address the issues people are facing with the rising cost of living and provide support during these difficult times.

San Chan, customer consultant at the Yorkshire Building Society branch in Barnsley, said:

The current cost-of-living crisis including energy price increases, fuel price rises, and general inflationary pressures, means that many people in Barnsley are facing very real challenges around financial wellbeing.

That is why our partnership with Citizens Advice is so important in being able to increase the support that both organisations can offer to those in need in our communities. Together we’ve already been able to support more than 1,800 people in our communities and we hope to reach many more.

David Andy, operational manager, from Citizens Advice in Barnsley, said:

Right now, our advisers are seeing so many people facing heart-rending choices as they try to pay bills. Our partnership with Yorkshire Building Society will help us reach more people who need support in the Barnsley area.

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.