With banks closing branches on a regular basis one Wirral town is set to benefit from the opening of a new high street ‘banking hub’. Tony McDonough reports
Last week it was announced NatWest would be closing its high street bank in West Kirby in Wirral but people in the town will soon have access to a new ‘banking hub’.
West Kirby is a bustling and prosperous coastal town but, like so many other UK locations, it has seen the demise of its high street banks as customers turn increasingly to online and telephone banking.
However, LINK, the UK’s cash access and ATM network, says it will open one of its new banking hub facilities in the area. It is likely to open in 2024.
In 2021, the banking industry agreed that following the closure of any bank branch, LINK would identify whether a community requires further cash services.
Banking hubs are a shared banking space, similar to a traditional bank branch, but available to everyone.
The hub will consist of 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 also 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.
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It will be delivered by a new bank-owned infrastructure company called Cash Access UK. Over the next few weeks, it will begin to engage with the local community and start looking for potential sites.
Nick Quin, head of financial inclusion at LINK, said: “While more consumers are choosing to pay for things online and digitally, there are still 5m people who rely on cash.
“We know that face to face banking services are critical too. That’s why banking hubs are important for consumers, businesses and the high street. This is the first we’ve recommended in Wirral and we look forward to supporting the community.”