People can now walk into the Council’s One Stop Shop in Manvers Street and open a bank account.
The Bristol Credit Union offers the service on a Thursday from 1pm until 3pm. It is aimed at people who don’t have a Current Account, or who want to move to an ethical, local alternative and want to access to money at cash machines, pay bills by standing order, and use Direct Debit.
The Credit Union also offers savings and affordable loans.
Councillor Paul Crossley (Lib-Dem, Southdown), Leader of Council, said: “The Council is really pleased to offer a broad range of services across the public and voluntary sector in our One Stop Shop. This includes the ability for people to now open a Current Account through the local Credit Union.
“We have now been running the One Stop Shop for over a year and the offer for local people has gone from strength to strength. There are more than a dozen Council services and fifteen public and voluntary organisations.”
James Berry, Chief Executive of Bristol Credit Union, said: “We are really pleased to be working with the Council in this innovative partnership to provide our services at the One Stop Shop. Credit Unions are getting an increasing profile because of the strain on household finances and the confidence expressed in them by high profile public figures, like the Archbishop of Canterbury, means we are seeing more people coming through the door for our services.”
More information about the services available at the One Stop Shop can be found at www.bathnes.gov.uk/onestopshop
