BANKING HUB UPDATE

Following the announcement that the Lloyd’s branch in Stoke town centre is due to close later this year, I wrote to Link – the organisation responsible for banking hubs – asking them to carry out a review into the banking services in Stoke town centre with a view to opening a banking hub in the town.

Link have carried out an assessment and stated that “We are not recommending the provision of any new cash access services in Stoke-on-Trent (Stoke) at this time. This is because our assessment shows there are already cash access services and facilities within a 1-mile radius which are suitable for the needs of the local area, or the deficiency does not cause a significant impact on the local area.”

Clearly, the deficiency of cash access services in Stoke does have a significant impact on residents and it is clear to me that this assessment has been carried out without local knowledge of the area and the uniqueness of Stoke-on-Trent and the six towns. That is why I have requested a meeting with Link, in Stoke, so that I can show them first-hand, the problems that having no bank in the town would cause for our community.

Please continue to encourage friends, family and neighbours to sign the petition so that we can show Link that there is a large demand in Stoke for a banking hub in the town.