Yorkshire Building Society: Partnership with Citizen's Advice supports 13,000 people
Thousands of vulnerable people have sought help from a service established by Yorkshire Building Society in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
Susan Allen, chief executive of Yorkshire Building Society, said that as economic pressures persist, there is increasing demand for the free, confidential appointments the mutual offers with Citizens Advice in 44 of its branches.
Ms Allen said that, so far this year, the service has helped more than 3,000 people who together could be nearly £1.9m better off if they act on the advice given.
Initially launched as a pilot in six branches in 2021, the programme's success, and demand for the service, has led to its expansion into around 40 per cent of Yorkshire Building Society's branches. The partnership has helped people address a wide range of issues, including welfare benefits, debt, housing, and legal challenges.
Ms Allen told The Yorkshire Post: "I've spent time with a number of the Citizens Advice advisers in our branches around the UK and here in Yorkshire. The Citizens Advice advisers are making such a huge difference for people who are struggling.
“We’re providing a nice safe place to come and have those conversations,’’ she added.
"What I hear from the people who come to see the advisers is how much they welcome the ability to come and see somebody face to face.
"People are underestimating how important face to face is, particularly at really difficult moments in people's lives.
"Since we launched the Citizens Advice pilot in May 2021, more than 13,000 people have used the service and quite a lot of the outcomes from that will be pointing people towards benefits that they are eligible for.
“The advisers are open to everybody whether they have an account with Yorkshire Building Society or not. We see that as part of our responsibility to our communities to create that environment for access to free, confidential debt advice and support in the local community."
Ms Allen made the comments as Yorkshire Building Society published results which revealed it grew its membership and balance sheet over the first half of 2025.
In a statement to accompany the results, the mutual said it continued to innovate to provide “real help with real life” by extending its £5,000 Deposit Mortgage to flats and, in the face of stamp duty increases, offering up to £6,250 cashback to help first-time buyers with the higher cost of buying a home.
The society’s mortgage balances increased to £50.6bn in the period and, of more than 18,000 new residential mortgages provided, nearly 4,000 went to first-time buyers, the mutual said in the statement.
Savers opened 288,000 new Yorkshire Building Society accounts between January and June.
Ms Allen said: "The sector has shown that it's surprisingly resilient. When you look at arrears for instance, arrears are still very low and that is a consequence of the changes that were made post financial crisis with the strengthening of affordability rules.
"We're trying to do what we can..helping people to take that first step on to the housing ladder. We're feeling quite confident in the robustness of the housing market so we feel confident to lean in and do more for first time buyers."