by Rebecca Hannant
Hedon Library has been secured as the new location for the Hedon Cash Hub.
At the same time, the closure date of the Lloyds branch, originally set for the end of this month, has been pushed back to March 25.
Following Lloyds Bank’s announcement in September that its Hedon branch would close, LINK Cash Access carried out an assessment to determine whether Hedon would be eligible for a banking hub.
The initial findings concluded that Hedon did not meet the criteria, as it has fewer than 70 shops, although it did meet the requirement of having an adult population of 10,000. Instead, it was recommended that the town’s post office be improved to make it more accessible and better able to meet higher customer demand.
That decision was met with backlash from the Hedon community, with residents arguing that alternative provision in Hull was too far away. Concerns were also raised that increased footfall at the post office would place additional pressure on its services.
MP Graham Stuart wrote to LINK, prompting a reassessment, and in December, it was announced that Hedon would receive a cash hub rather than a full banking hub.
In a collaborative effort between East Riding Council and LINK Cash Access UK, the cash hub will now be located upstairs within Hedon Library and will have lift access.
It will be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and staffed by two employees. It will include security facilities and a safe, and customers will be able to withdraw and deposit cash, deposit cheques and check their balance. However, it will not provide private meeting rooms or access to bank representatives.
A council spokesman said: “East Riding Council is working with Cash Access UK to facilitate the opening of a Cash Hub in Hedon. Following a discussion about possible locations, Cash Access have chosen the office space above Hedon Library as most appropriate for their purposes. We are working on finalising the proposals and hope to see the hub open in the next few months.”
Hedon resident Joyce Whittle, who has campaigned for a banking hub, said: “It’s a welcome deferment. It shows Lloyds Bank have realised and is considerate of the hardship residents and businesses of Hedon and surrounding villages would face with the lack of cash access without further provision once the bank and ATMs close. We just hope that an accessible cash hub will be up and running before the bank closes to meet the needs for cash in the community.
“I am aware East Riding Council and Cash Access are looking at the area upstairs in the library. There is lift access but there may still be concerns for some having to use the lift or stairs to access the cash hub.
“It also raises the issue of how Cash Access makes decisions about communities’ needs as clearly the original decision was incorrect and it was only on challenging the decision we were reconsidered for the cash hub.
“I also am concerned about the criteria that LINK uses to assess a community’s requirement for a banking hub of 70 shops and wonder if all areas with banking hubs reach that criteria. It is essential when the cash hub is open it is well used by all, and that we keep using our town centre businesses to keep our communities thriving.”