Aviva makes multimillion pound pledge as it signs new deal

Aviva has pledged more than £4m to Citizens Advice as it renewed its partnership with the charity.

The multiyear deal will see Citizens Advice use more funding from the insurer to further help people with cost of living pressures over the next three years.

Plans the charity have include developing a dedicated customer referral service for Aviva’s 16 million UK customers in need of additional advice and funding more staff.

Citizens Advice will also look at using new technology to improve client experience and adviser productivity and train some Aviva colleagues to become telephone-based operators one day a week.

A number of Aviva employees are currently undergoing training to identify and refer customers who exhibit characteristics of personal and financial vulnerability.

Sabrina Sallis, head of fundraising at Citizens Advice, said: “2024 was our busiest year on record. We are seeing huge demand for support across the UK, with people coming to us with more complex issues than ever before.

“Aviva’s funding has been vital for us in meeting this challenge. With additional support over the next few years, we know we can help more people navigate their problems and get the information they need to move forward with confidence.”

Previous deal

The new deal builds on the partnership Aviva and Citizens Advice agreed in 2022.

Aviva has so far helped the charity employ 50 additional front-line staff across more than 30 UK locations and increase capacity by 53% for the content team to support individuals seeking advice through the website.

Claudine Blamey, chief sustainability officer at Aviva, said: “We’re proud to see our partnership with Citizens Advice go from strength to strength and offer even better support to vulnerable customers.

“We’ve been helping our customers get ready for the future for over 325 years. From helping them prepare for retirement to being there when they face financial and health shocks – we know that building long-term financial resilience is key to creating stronger communities.

“By partnering with Citizens Advice, we can have a greater impact and better serve vulnerable customers facing financial difficulty.”