Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to extend trials of Community Access to Cash pilots; and what the timeframe is to extend the rollout of those pilots to further locations.

The Community Access to Cash Pilots are an industry-led initiative taking place in eight locations across the UK. These pilots are trialling and testing sustainable solutions for ensuring that communities can conveniently withdraw and deposit cash, and identifying ways basic banking services can be better delivered. The pilots include Bank Hubs in Cambuslang and Rochford, which industry estimates have helped over 12,000 customers with access to cash and basic banking needs to date. On 18 August, an extension was announced to the Community Access to Cash Pilots, and the Bank Hub pilots will now continue until April 2023, meanwhile industry has announced that cashback without a purchase will be rolled out to thousands of shops over the coming months.

The Government welcomes industry efforts to develop solutions to support continued access to cash into the future. On the 1 July 2021, the Government published the Access to Cash Consultation, seeking views on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. It is important that long-term industry initiatives are compatible with the Government’s legislative approach.