A new banking hub has been confirmed for a Greater Manchester area set to lose its last remaining bank this summer. NatWest’s decision to shut its Heald Green branch meant people living in the Cheadle area were to be left without any face-to-face banking services from July. There are around 40,000 homes across the constituency.
But LINK - the UK’s cash access and ATM network - has now announced that a new bank will open in nearby Bramhall. The decision comes after a concerted campaign from the community and local politicians. The hub will offer basic counter services, allowing people to withdraw cash, collect change, deposit cheques, pay bills and make balance enquiries. Automated services for deposits and withdrawals may also be available.
Staff from specific banks will be available on alternating days, so people can speak to them about any financial issues they may need help with. Nearby Marple will also benefit from a new deposit service to help local businesses bank their cash more easily.
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The news has been welcomed by Coun Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrat councillor for Cheadle West and Gatley. “This is a huge success for our area and for those councillors and campaigners that fought to make it happen,” said a ‘delighted’ Coun Morrison.
“Our campaign attracted the support of a thousand people across Cheadle Constituency, and I would like to thank everyone that got involved. Access to cash is a serious issue for hundreds of vulnerable and elderly residents across Cheadle Constituency.
"The closures of our local banks would have done untold damage, however this commitment to open a banking hub will help provide the support that people and local businesses need.”
The banking hub will now be delivered by Cash Access UK. Over the next few weeks, it will begin to engage with the local community and to start looking for potential sites. The hub will likely open in 2024.
However, the announcement that the hub will be based in Bramhall - not Cheadle, as previously mooted - has raised some eyebrows.
Coun David Meller, Labour councillor for Cheadle East and Cheadle Hulme North said he was glad LINK had listened to councillors and the community. But he admitted the decision was not ‘without some disappointment’.
“We are a little concerned about the decision to place this in Bramhall,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“We have asked for the criteria that has resulted in the Bank Hub being located there over Cheadle Village. Public transport links to Bramhall are not especially ideal and I’m fearful some may struggle to access the BankHub there.
“Locating the BankHub within Cheadle Village would have supported many more communities, including Cheadle Heath and Edgeley, through the bus routes that serve the area.”
However, Coun Meller added that it would be ‘churlish to let this entirely overshadow what will benefit many people’. “We are thankful LINK have engaged with us and recognised the need for improved banking facilities,” he said.
The hub will provide a counter service operated by Post Office employees, where customers of any bank can withdraw and deposit cash, make bill payments and carry out regular banking transactions.
There will als be private spaces where customers can speak to community bankers from their own bank for more complicated matters that require specialist knowledge or privacy. The banks will be working on a rotating basis, so there will be staff from different banks available on different days.
Bramhall is the 100th banking hub to be recommended by LINK and there are currently four up and running across the UK including Brixham (Devon), Cambuslang (Lanarkshire), Cottingham (East Riding of Yorkshire) and Rochford (Essex).
Mary Robinson, Conservative MP for Cheadle, said she was delighted with the news.
“Local businesses and residents have keenly felt the effect of the wave of bank closures across our area,” she said. “This hub in Bramhall will reinstate services, allowing customers to deposit and withdraw cash, pay bills, and, importantly, speak with community bankers from their own bank."
In 2021, the banking industry agreed that following the closure of any bank branch, LINK will identify whether a community requires further cash services. Any community without a branch can also contact LINK directly and ask to be assessed for support
Nick Quin, Head of Banking Services, at LINK, said: "We know the way we pay for things and bank is changing. Yet not everyone is able to bank online or use digital payments. Many consumers and small businesses still rely on face-to-face banking and cash. That’s why we’re pleased to confirm Bramhall has been selected for a banking hub and Marple will get better deposit services for businesses.”
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