On 9 March, Stephen hosted a reception in Parliament with the NatWest Group and Citizens Advice, to mark the publication of their joint report, “Strengthening the safety net: supporting NatWest Group’s most vulnerable customers”.
Over the past year, specialist advisers from NatWest have been working with local Citizens Advice branches to deliver support to financially vulnerable customers in parts of the UK. The report measures the impact of the service from the previous 12 months, which has reached over 2,000 people – nearly 60% of whom were not previously in contact with Citizens Advice. Customers have been seeking support mainly around issues relating to debt, benefits and family. The pandemic, rising living costs and Universal Credit cuts have increased the need for these services.
Speaking at the event, Stephen said “it’s important that my constituents can access support when experiencing financial difficulty. As we continue to recover from the pandemic – and in the face of rising living costs – it is encouraging that organisations such as NatWest Group and Citizens Advice are working together to meet the wider needs of vulnerable customers. I hope that others might look at this partnership as a model of what can be achieved.”
You can read the full report here.