NORTH YORKSHIRE, U.K.–A credit union here is working to offer people in this area a viable alternative to banks, while helping local libraries at the same time.
According to the Northern Echo, Darlington Credit Union (DCU) is extending its services into Hambleton and Richmondshire by working in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council and its libraries. Together the organizations are opening up seven new collection points where “people can save with an ethical, community-led project and borrow at affordable rates.”
One of the aims is also to increase footfall in the county’s beleaguered libraries, which are currently having their budgets drastically cut, the Northern Echo reported.
“We were approached by North Yorkshire County Council with reference to the libraries in particular,” Darlington Credit Union CEO Tony Brockley told the Northern Echo. "We hope to support them by increasing the footfall, but we’re hoping also to use our presence as an opportunity to spread further out into North Yorkshire and engage other groups.”
North Yorkshire Credit Union went into liquidation in 2012 and since then the county has not had its own community-led financial co-operative. DCU’s expansion into North Yorkshire is aiming to reintroduce a credit union service to the county and, in some cases, bring back a financial presence to rural communities which have lost bank branches, the Northern Echo reported.