MORE than 120,000 people across North Staffordshire are being asked to vote for the proposed merger of Britannia Building Society and the Co-operative Financial Services.

Directors at the Leek society want to create a 'super-mutual' by joining forces with Manchester-based CFS.

They say a merger would lead to an ethical organisation with £70 billion of assets, nine million customers, more than 12,000 employees and more than 300 branches.

For the deal to go ahead, 75 per cent of Britannia saving members who vote and 50 per cent of borrowing members who vote have to give it the green light.

Now about 121,000 voting packs have started hitting the mats in North Staffordshire.

Tim Franklin, Britannia's managing director, said: "To enable the merger to go ahead, Britannia's members must vote in favour at the society's annual general meeting in April.

"We'll be sending voting packs to 1.5 million eligible members throughout the country in the coming days.

"It's important that members have their say as they'll be helping to shape the future of financial services in the UK."

When the merger proposals were unveiled in January they sparked fears of job cuts at Britannia's Leek head office, which employs about 2,000.