Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of closures of (a) bank branches and (b) free-to-use ATMs in (i) Mid Cheshire constituency, (ii) Cheshire, (iii) and England in each of the last five years.

The Government does not hold bank branch closure data for each of the last 5 years. However, according to consumer website Which?, Mid Cheshire constituency lost 35.7% of its branch network between January 2015 and September 2024, and has nine branches remaining. The operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, LINK, publishes data on the number of ATMs across each parliamentary constituency, both free and pay to use. In the constituency of Mid Cheshire, LINK data identifies 50 free-to-use ATMs out of 57 in total across the constituency.

The Government understands the impact of bank branch closures on communities and the importance of face-to-face banking. It is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority, including those who are reliant on cash.

This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. These hubs will provide small businesses and individuals who need face-to-face support with critical cash and in-person banking services. Over 80 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by Christmas.

Furthermore, FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. As well as banking hubs, alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office.

With regards to access to cash, the Financial Conduct Authority has recently assumed regulatory responsibility for protecting access to cash. On 18 September, it introduced new rules which protect free access to cash for personal customers. These rules require the UK’s largest banks and building societies to assess the impact of a closure of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility and put in place a new service if necessary.