The West Brom is setting up a Member Council for the first time in its 169 year history. Comprising of up to 15 participants, the council will meet on a quarterly basis to share the views of the building society’s membership with its board and management team.

Applications are now being sought, with a view to appointing the council by October and holding its first meeting in January 2019.

West Brom chief executive Jonathan Westhoff said: “There is growing expectation for businesses to build strong relationships with key stakeholders and use their insight to influence strategic thinking and decision making.

“For a building society, where our customers effectively own the business, this deeper level of engagement is arguably even more important. We already have a number of initiatives in place to gather feedback about our products and customer service. The Member Council, however, will take things much further by acting in a consultative capacity and making a genuine difference to the way we operate.”

A similar group made up of West Brom employees is also being established and will run in tandem with the Member Council in order to capture a diverse range of opinions.

The West Brom has around 430,000 members and operates 37 branches in the Black Country, Birmingham and parts of Shropshire and mid-Wales. To be part of the Council, customers must be aged 16 or over and have held either a savings account or mortgage with the West Brom for at least a year. Applications can be made online or by filling out a form in any branch. The closing date is 31st August.