Resort MP backs 'radical idea' to force shops to take physical money instead of going cashless

Opening a debate, Conservative Paul Mayard, who represents Blackpool North and Cleveleys, said the Government must introduce the legislation it proposed in the Budget in March to ensure that cash “remains viable”.

It comes as MPs expressed their concerns about the limited availability of free cash machines (ATMs) and the increasing number of shops refusing to accept cash for purchases, during a Westminster Hall hearing on the matter.

Mr Maynard said: “A more radical idea still might be that there is a short-term legal requirement for shops to continue to accept cash as a primary way to protect both acceptance of cash and by protecting the cash infrastructure, including ATMs.”

Labour’s Yvonne Fovargue (Makerfield) said the Covid-19 crisis had accelerated the transition away from cash and she called on the Government to act to prevent its demise entirely, which could be as soon as “weeks away”.

Conservative former cabinet minister David Mundell said the Government has “a major role to play” in ensuring people have the ability to use cash when making transactions, and agreed that temporary legislation should be considered to encourage this.

Labour’s Sarah Owen (Luton North) called the inaccessibility of free ATM machines “a stealth tax on the vulnerable”.

She told Westminster Hall: “There is a really straightforward issue here – people shouldn’t be charged to access their own money – it really is as simple as that.

“I’ve had older constituents contact me during this pandemic concerned about the fact that they cannot pay with cash. We know that older people are less likely to be able to access banking digitally – these people literally cannot afford to be left behind.”

Responding to the debate, financial secretary to the Treasury Jesse Norman said legislation to protect access to cash would be brought forward “in due course”.

“The Government’s position is it does not believe that mandating cash acceptance is the answer, but exploring means to incentivise the acceptance of cash is high on the agenda...”

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