by Rebecca Hannant
Cash access organisation LINK has agreed to reassess the need for a banking hub in Hedon following backlash from the community.
Last month, Lloyds Bank announced that its Hedon branch would close at the end of January, along with 48 others across the country. The bank said this was because of increasing use of online banking, and that alternative services were available locally. As part of the closure, the cash machines at the site will also be decommissioned.
Under the rules, banks must notify LINK when closing a branch so an assessment of local cash and banking access can be carried out.
LINK’s initial review concluded that Hedon did not meet the eligibility criteria for a banking hub, which requires a town to have at least 70 shops and an adult population of 10,000. While Hedon meets the population threshold, LINK said it identified only 39 shops, meaning it did not qualify. LINK also stated that ATM access was sufficient and that Hedon was close to banking services in Hull. It instead recommended improvements to the post office, including step-free and disabled access.
The decision caused concern in Hedon, with many residents drawing comparisons with Withernsea, which opened its banking hub earlier this year. Hedon residents pointed out that the 2021 census placed Withernsea’s population at around 6,000, below the current population threshold. However, LINK has clarified that Withernsea was assessed before the regulated scheme came into force, and no directly comparable report exists.
On Saturday, October 18, MP Graham Stuart hosted a rally in Hedon’s Market Place, joined by South West Holderness ward councillors, Hedon town councillors including the mayor, and members of the public. Around 50 people attended, with speakers emphasising the impact the loss of in-person banking will have on elderly and vulnerable residents, small businesses and community groups.
Mr Stuart has also launched a petition calling on LINK to reconsider, which has already gathered more than 1,300 signatures.
Following community pressure, LINK has now confirmed it will reopen the assessment.
Mr Stuart said: “Following calling them out on it, LINK is reopening their assessment. The post office isn’t suitable to be Hedon’s bank and anyone who disagrees has clearly never been there. People in Hedon need access to cash – it has a vibrant high street and is a fantastic shopping centre for the town and the surrounding area.
“Saying Nisa and Sainsbury’s provide sufficient cash machines is absurd. Nisa’s is invariably empty while Sainsbury’s is a mile’s walk away and will hardly encourage people to spend their hard-earned money in the town centre.
“Sign the petition at grahamstuart.com/HedonBank and join over 1,400 people who want access to cash in Hedon.”
A spokesperson for LINK said: “We carry out assessments when a bank branch closes or if people in the local community ask us to, and we publish the outcome.
“We recently published an assessment in Hedon which noted that accessibility at existing cash services in Hedon could be improved. Our members are now looking at the detail of this and considering reasonable adjustments to those services.”
Hedon resident Joyce Whittle welcomed the news. She said: “It is vital for our communities that LINK consider the requirements of all residents and businesses in the town and the surrounding villages that Lloyds bank and central ATMs currently serve.
“Taking away three out of seven cash accesses – the two 24-hour central ATMs and the five-day-a-week bank – is totally an incorrect cash access assessment. Leaving the town with just a small post office counter in a shop, which is already extremely busy and has no disabled access, without even having a conversation with the owner, is hardly a fair assessment.
“We need a banking hub and replacement 24-hour town centre ATMs at the very least, or ideally a reconsideration of the Lloyds closure, although I am realistic that is very unlikely.”
LINK is expected to provide an update once the reassessment is complete.