The UK is set to open 13 new banking hubs designed to preserve access to cash across the country.

The move, announced by the Cash Action Group and LINK, will bring the total number of hubs to 25.

The organisations said that the new hubs are likely to become an even more important resource amid the cost-of-living crisis, particularly in communities with limited cash access.

Two banking hubs were piloted in 2021 in Essex and South Lanarkshire, which have been “extremely popular”, with usage more than doubling since they were first opened last year.

They have had nearly 60,000 customer visits and transactions worth £16 million over the same time period.

“It really is important to stress what a difference the Banking Hub has made to Cambuslang,” said John Bachtler, chair of the Cambuslang Community Council in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. “When the last bank branch closed, people could no longer just pop into town and go into the bank. Parts of the community like the elderly and financially vulnerable lost an essential service. They had to travel and then do their shopping in Rutherglen, which is not easy for all. It also hurt the high street and the small businesses who had nowhere to bank their takings.”

The new Hubs will be located in in Brechin (Angus), Forres (Moray), Carluke (Lanarkshire), Kirkcudbright (Dumfries & Galloway), Axminster (Devon), Barton-upon-Humber (Lincolnshire), Lutterworth (Leicestershire), Royal Wootton Bassett (Wilts), Cheadle (Staffs), Belper (Derbyshire), Maryport (Cumbria) and Hornsea (Yorks). Additionally, the first Banking Hub in Northern Ireland will open in Kilkeel (Newry).

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