Bradford-based lender Provident Financial has scored full marks in an annual worldwide measure of how companies support their local communities.

Provident was one of only a handful of companies to achieve the maximum score of 100 in the tenth FTSE4Good Index – putting it at the top of the rankings for global financial services.

Work being undertaken on the Holme Wood estate in Bradford and with local schools helped to clinch the top place for the company, which employs 700 staff at its city centre head office and 3.700 in total.

Provident scored strongly due to the commitment of its senior executives to its corporate responsibility agenda and the impact it has on local communities, including some of the most deprived areas in the UK and Ireland.

It also stood out for the work undertaken by its subsidiary businesses to address workplace issues such as diversity.

Staff at Provident’s head office on Thornton Road are working in partnership with the Holme Wood estate and The Joshua Project through its Good Neighbour programme.

Chief executive Peter Crook said: “We are very proud of our continued presence in the FTSE4Good Index. It demonstrates to our stakeholders that our CR programme is embedded across all areas of the business and adds real value to what we do."