An innovative partnership between Citizens Advice and the Yorkshire Building Society is continuing to help people in the area after starting up last year.
The partnership sees Yorkshire Building Society host a Citizens Advice adviser in its Lynn branch one day a week.
Citizens Advice offers impartial advice on a host of issues, including struggles with finances.
Through the partnership, members of the public can access an hour-long appointment which is free, confidential, and can be booked directly by contacting a participating branch.
The programme started as a pilot in just six branches in 2021, but due to demand and its initial success, it has since expanded to more than 40% of the Society’s branches.
The partnership has helped people with a range of different problems, including accessing welfare benefits, debt, housing, and legal difficulties.
Branches in Lynn and Swaffham have been involved in the partnership since July 2023, and in that time the partnership has helped 214 people in the area.
Susan Allen, chief executive of Yorkshire Building Society, said:“Our purpose is to provide real help with real life and that’s exactly what our partnership with Citizens Advice does.
“We are incredibly proud of the impact that this service has had on thousands of people across the UK in its first three years.
“Through this partnership, we’ve helped to make impartial and independent advice from Citizens Advice even more accessible in our communities and it has had a real impact on the lives of thousands of people up and down the UK.”
Mark Hitchcock, chief officer at Norfolk Citizens Advice, said: "This year we’ve seen many households reach out to us for support for a huge range of issues.
That’s why our partnership with Yorkshire Building Society is so important in helping us to increase the support that we can offer to people in need in our local communities.”