DESPITE the lockdown imposed by the Government during the COVID-19 outbreak, Barrow & District Credit Union is continuing to serve its members with staff predominantly working from home but with a small office presence-based around pre-arranged appointments.
Chairman, Phil Collier, says: “Unfortunately, we were forced to close our doors when Barrow Borough Council decided to close down the market and lock the gates to The Mall as soon as the lockdown was announced. Disappointingly, we received no notice of this, despite our front doors being situated in The Mall and with us providing an essential service to the community.
“This left us only having access via our staff door on Dalton Road. Fortunately, the majority of our transactions are done online but we do have a core of members who do not have bank accounts and therefore rely totally on cash. Consequently, our staff promptly reorganised our internal set-up to enable us to arrange for members to attend the office, albeit by appointment only, to undertake cash transactions whilst continuing to maintain safe distancing.”
The Credit Union’s board has been meeting two or three times a week, via video conference, since the lockdown was announced, to ensure that all necessary protocols are in place and being maintained.
Phil adds: “I have been delighted with the way that my fellow directors have dug in deep at this time of crisis. Whilst there is nothing like face-to-face meetings, video conferencing is proving to be a pretty good substitute and it is enabling us to have regular meetings to ensure, not just that appropriate protocols are in place and working well, but to focus on the short term integrity of the Credit Union itself, in a situation that could undoubtedly have a negative impact on the organisation in the mid- and longer-term.
“I was delighted to hear of a ‘Fair4All’ funding scheme introduced by the Government this week to support credit unions through this crisis. However, it seems that this is only available to credit unions with a current loan book of £2m or more. As with many smaller credit unions, ours currently stands just shy of £500K and so we are not eligible for this, or any, grant funding support – so not really ‘Fair4All’ at all. On learning this, I have immediately written to our MP, Simon Fell, to ask him to raise this somewhat gross omission directly with the Chancellor.”
The Credit Union has posted a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on both its website (www.barrowdistrictcu.co.uk) and its Facebook page, as well as in its Dalton Road-facing window, and these are being continually monitored and updated. Further information can also be obtained by calling 07729 412327.
Phil concludes: “This is a testing time for us right now, as it is for many of our local businesses and charities. Thankfully I am delighted to say that we have a great team of people working hard to maintain what is an essential service to the community. I know we will come through this crisis and I really look forward to continuing our drive to support our members, present and future.”
