Festive message for members from our CEO

With colder days and longer nights upon us, we’re building up to Christmas and that time of the year when we reflect with gratitude on the importance of our family and friends.  

While the economic environment is showing some tentative improvements, nobody can truly predict what lies ahead over the coming months, not least given the ongoing conflicts and tensions in the Middle East. What is certain is that challenges remain, particularly with respect to the cost of living. Inflation, though reducing, is still elevated, making everyday life extremely challenging for many people. 

At Leek Building Society, we’re here to help. 

We fully understand that, particularly at this time of year, balancing your household budget with the additional expense of Christmas can be difficult. If you need help, you’ll find some helpful resources here, including tips on ways you may be able to reduce your bills and details of external agencies which offer free assistance. For mortgage holders, you’ll find details of the Mortgage Charter which helps those of you who may be struggling or who may be worried about making your repayments when your mortgage deal comes to an end. This Charter is a voluntary agreement drawn up by HM Treasury which we've proudly signed up to.

As a mutual institution, what sets us apart is our dedication to our members. We don’t have shareholders, so we can – and do – look at everything from the perspective of how we can best support you. The Bank of England base rate has increased significantly over the past two years but we've strived at all times to be as fair as possible by passing on the benefits of these rate increases to our savers whilst minimising the impact on our mortgage customers, ensuring we provide competitive products to help you achieve your financial goals. While the future interest rate environment is uncertain, please rest assured that we will continue to uphold these principles. You’ll find all our mortgage and savings products on our website and I strongly encourage you to regularly check any products you hold with us and their interest rates to ensure they continue to meet your needs. If you’d like to discuss anything with us, just give us a call or drop into one of our branches.  

The feedback we've received from members on our recently-completed branch modernisation programme has been overwhelmingly positive. All our branches have been upgraded to offer improved facilities, including more meeting points and 'engagement zones' for informal discussions about our products and services. To complement our branch services, our online savings platform, Leek Online, is available and our mortgage technology platform is also currently being upgraded.

As well as investing in our business, we’re continuing to invest more than ever in our local communities. Our Charitable Foundation has been busy allocating funds to numerous worthy causes and we recently commenced a groundbreaking initiative to install 100 defibrillators over the coming years - with the aim of saving lives in our communities. 

Finally, I was delighted to share a few months back that Leek Building Society had been announced as the country’s BEST BUILDING SOCIETY in the 2023 British Bank Awards. Since then we have also been honoured with the accolades of EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR at the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Awards and BEST HEALTH AND WELLBEING EMPLOYER at the National CIPD awards. I hope you’ll agree that these awards reflect particularly well on our immensely dedicated and capable team here at the Society, a team that remains as committed as ever to providing you with excellent service. 

As always, I would like to sincerely thank you for your loyalty and support and I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

With warmest personal regards.

Andrew Healy MBE