Craig Williams & Russell George, MP & MS for Montgomeryshire, have today cut the ribbon for Welshpool’s new Banking Hub restoring access to major bank services to Welshpool’s high street.
Located within the former Lloyds Bank building on Broad Street, the new Hub, which is operated by Cash Access UK, will offer shared banking access and services to customers of all major banks. The Hub will be open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm and will be able to support customers with every day banking services and cash transactions. On top of this, a Community Banker from each bank will be available on rotation to help with more complex queries and issues. The schedule for this will be:
Monday: Lloyds
Tuesday: NatWest
Wednesday: HSBC
Thursday: Santander
Friday: Barclays
The Hub will also soon feature an ATM, ensuring that 24-hour ATM access is restored within Welshpool’s town centre.
Welshpool was chosen to receive a Banking Hub after LINK, the UK’s cash access and cash machine network, identified the need for enhanced cash deposit services following the closures of both Barclays and Lloyds branches over the past year. This is the first Banking Hub to open within Mid Wales, and only the second in Wales following Prestatyn, whose Hub opened earlier this month.
Commenting on the opening of the new Banking Hub, Craig Williams MP said:
“This is fantastic news for residents of Welshpool and surrounding communities. Following the closure of the last remaining banks within the town at the beginning of this year, Russell George MS and I have been campaigning hard for banking services to remain within the town. The opening of the new Banking Hub today will restore access to all of the major banks on our high street, with an ATM to follow very soon.
“Whilst a number of conveyancing issues had created some unexpected and frustrating delays earlier this year, today’s opening of the Hub is hugely positive for the area and will also help to deliver new investment to the town by giving local businesses easy access to vital banking services.
“With no banks left in towns such as Llanidloes and Machynlleth, Russell and I are working hard to bring more Banking Hubs to Montgomeryshire and restore high street banking services across the whole of the constituency.”
Russell George MS said:
“Over recent years, many high street banks have closed their doors in towns across Montgomeryshire. This is why, along with Craig Williams MP, we have campaigned for a dramatic improvement in banking services on our high streets.
“I was delighted that Welshpool was chosen as the location for one of the first Hub banks to open in Wales. The Hub will be able to support cash transactions every day. Particularly important is going to be the provision of a Community Banker from many of the major banks on rotation by weekday.
“Despite some delays, I am delighted that the opening will mean banking services to local residents and businesses will be available on the high street once again.”
