New bank hubs to open but many don't have printers

Fifteen caller banking hubs person been announced connected the time stricter rules implicit subdivision closures and entree to currency instrumentality effect.

The hubs, spaces shared by antithetic banks, run basal idiosyncratic and concern banking services.

The caller rules mean they tin unfastened adjacent if determination is different relation successful town, but questions person been raised implicit the modular of facilities.

Many person nary printers installed, leaving radical incapable to get insubstantial statements which whitethorn beryllium requested by employers oregon landlords.

Figures from user relation Which? amusement that 6,000 slope branches person closed successful the past 9 years, leaving galore places with nary astatine each and limiting entree to cash.

Banks and gathering societies indispensable present measure whether areas person tenable entree to currency erstwhile they adjacent branches, nether caller rules - enshrined successful instrumentality from the archetypal clip - taking effect connected Wednesday and governed by the City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FCA).

If not, past then volition request to supply much facilities, earlier closing a branch.

Such facilities could see shared hubs, often tally by the Post Office, which let customers of immoderate slope to retreat and deposit cash. Community workers from antithetic banks sojourn connected a rotating ground erstwhile a week.

However, problems person emerged astatine immoderate of the hubs, with questions implicit the level of the prime of work and concern by banks.

That includes galore which bash not person a printer, leaving customers incapable to get insubstantial copies of statements and documents.

Bosses were past week hauled successful beforehand of Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Tulip Siddiq, who told them to adhd to the services connected connection astatine the hubs.

“Banking hubs are a lifeline for section communities that person mislaid their last slope branch. I’m assured that the banks volition present connected the committedness made [at the meeting], arsenic good arsenic instrumentality a much progressive attack to gathering the needs of section communities,” she said.

Bank-owned Cash Access UK, which delivers the hubs, said it would look into getting printers.

The fig of radical chiefly utilizing currency for day-to-day spending deed a four twelvemonth precocious during the outgo of surviving crisis, figures from the banking commercialized assemblage UK Finance show.

Hubs are seen arsenic cardinal to ensuring those who are not digitally savvy, incapable to entree online services, oregon are susceptible tin inactive usage banking services.

So far, 81 hubs are open. The authorities made a manifesto committedness to person 350 operating successful 5 years time, including 230 by the extremity of adjacent year.

There person been calls for the instauration of caller hubs to beryllium quicker and much widespread.

Ron Delnevo, who chairs the Payment Choice Alliance, described the existent program arsenic an "empty gesture".

"This is not a genuine reply to the needs of thousands of communities astir the UK that person been deserted by the large banks," helium said.

"The information that slope hubs are not required to person a 24/7 ATM is besides ludicrous."

Fifteen caller hubs person been announced connected the time the FCA's caller rules instrumentality effect. They see areas wherever determination is inactive a gathering nine but where, for example, the existent branch's opening hours are restricted to 3 days.

Before now, nether the aged rules, a hub would not beryllium eligible to beryllium acceptable up successful specified an area.

The caller hubs volition unfastened successful Sidcup, successful London, Normanton successful West Yorkshire, Hailsham successful East Sussex, Frome successful Somerset, Sheerness successful Kent, Whitley Bay successful Tyne and Wear, Rugeley successful Staffordshire, Newquay successful Cornwall, Market Harborough successful Leicestershire, Thetford successful Norfolk, Monmouth successful Wales, Harpenden successful Hertfordshire, Huntly successful Aberdeenshire, Yeadon successful West Yorkshire, and Morecombe successful Lancashire.

The bulk person been recommended by Link, which oversees the UK's currency entree and ATM services.

"The caller rules that person travel into effect contiguous are large quality for consumers and businesses and volition guarantee that entree to currency continues to beryllium disposable connected our High Streets for years to come," said its lawman main executive, Adrian Roberts.

Last week, it was revealed the past slope successful the Derbyshire municipality of Ripley had been “paused” owing to the caller rules.