Fleetwood to receive a new banking hub: what is it & when/where will it open?

The Lancashire town has been recommended a hub following a community request with the support of Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood.

What are banking hubs?

Banking hubs are shared banking spaces, similar to a traditional bank branch, but available to all banking customers.

When opened, the hub will consist of a counter service operated by Post Office employees, where customers of any bank can withdraw and deposit cash, make bill payments and carry out regular banking transactions.

In addition, there will be private spaces where customers can speak to community bankers from their own bank for more complicated matters that require specialist knowledge or privacy.

The banks work on a rotating basis, so there will be staff from different banks available on different days.

How has Fleetwood’s banking hub come about?

Fleetwood’s recommendation follows a community request to LINK, who determined that the town requires additional cash services to support local businesses and banking customers.

The banking hub will now be delivered by Cash Access UK.

Over the next few weeks, it will begin to engage with the local community and will start to look for potential sites.

The hub will likely open in 12 months’ time.

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Where else are there banking hubs?

To date, LINK has recommended 176 banking hubs across the UK. Alongside Fleetwood, LINK has today recommended seven more hubs following community requests. These will be located in Alsager (Cheshire), Bakewell (South Yorkshire), Dunbar (East Lothian), Dorking (Surrey), Hayle (Cornwall), Redruth (Cornwall), and Ballynahinch (County Down). Later this week, the 100th hub will open.

Fleetwood is the seventh banking hub to be recommended in Lancashire, this follows successful hub openings in Barnoldswick and Great Harwood. Hubs recommended in Bacup, Darwen, Kirkham and Morecambe are set to open soon.

What has been said about the new banking hub?

Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood: “I am absolutely delighted that Fleetwood will now be served by a new shared banking hub, providing vital services where customers can meet face-to-face with community bankers from their bank. Fleetwood has been poorly served for many years and this will help to revitalise our once vibrant town centre and shopping areas.”

Dr Chris Ashton, Chief Commercial Officer, LINK: “While more people are choosing to bank and pay for things digitally, we know that many people still rely on cash and face-to-face banking. That’s why we’re delighted to recommend a new hub in Fleetwood. There are almost one hundred hubs open across the country and when it opens, the Fleetwood banking hub will be vital for the local community and high street.”

How can I find out more?

Anyone can contact LINK at this website: https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/bank-branch-closures/

Additionally, to check for your nearest free access to cash point, you can download the app or visit the Cash Locator tool here: https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/locator/