UPDATE 3 November: As you may know I have been working on a project to retain banking services in Melksham following the announcement from Lloyds Bank that they would close their Melksham branch earlier this year.
I started by meeting the head of retail banking at Lloyds to try and convince them to reverse the decision. Once it was established that this was not viable and they would not reconsider, I set about ensuring that all of the Post Offices 🏤 in the surrounding area had the capacity and appropriate training to handle the increased traffic.
I then set about pursuing a more solutions, and submitted a community access request to LINK for a Bank Hub, which is a shared space managed by the Post Office where retail banks hold appointments on specific days.
LINK, the UK’s Cash Access and ATM network, has confirmed the town will benefit from new banking deposit services which will particularly be useful for local businesses and shopkeepers.
This is a big win, and will be a boost to our high street. In the meantime, retail customers can continue to pay in cash and cheques, withdraw money, and check your balance at the Post Office. 💷
Watch this space. I will continue to push hard to ensure that Melksham residents have access to banking services, and I hope to have a further update for you in the near future.
UPDATE 28 October: Melksham BankHub update: Today I had a meeting with Chris Ashton from Link to discuss my application for Melksham to receive a BankHub. We discussed our bid, the assessment process, and what options exist to maintain banking services. Whilst I am not in a position to pre-announce the outcome, watch this space. Link will be issuing a press release next week with more information regarding the status of our application
UPDATE 27 August: Earlier this year Lloyds closed their Melksham branch, leaving Melksham without a high street bank. To help preserve access to cash and banking services for the community, I have been campaigning for Melksham to be a contender for a Bank Hub, so it was pleasure to meet with Chris Ashton, Head of Banking Services at LINK, to make the case for our town.
A Bank Hub is run by the Post Office and is a shared retail space where high street banks are able to hold appointments with their customers on specific days of the week, in addition to the usual Post Office everyday banking services, meaning you can:
👩💼Speak face to face with a member of staff from your bank
💷 Withdraw or deposit cash for either personal or business banking
🧾Open new accounts
📈Get help and advice from banking professionals
💰Deposit cheques
If successful, it would mean securing access to cash and banking services in Melksham long into the future.
I have submitted a bid and will be working closely with LINK over the coming months to push this and ensure that Melksham has the best chance of securing a Bank Hub.
