Four new cities will get banking hubs as branches proceed to shutter

Four more towns have been recommended for a banking hub as bank branches vanish from high streets up and down the country. 

Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire has become the latest town to be recommended a banking hub after the last bank in town closed. 

It marks the 250th banking hub recommendation in a milestone for Cash Access UK the non-profit organisation which runs the banking hubs.

Banking hubs replace traditional banks in towns where all the branches have gone. 

They have a traditional counter service operated by the Post Office, and community bankers from nine major high street banks visit on a rotating basis to provide support to customers with their banking needs.

Deposit services also allow small businesses to deposit and access cash.

Three other banking hubs have been recommended today for Ormskirk in Lancashire, Wilmslow in Cheshire and Whitehaven in Cumbria. 

Lifeline: Some 250 banking hubs have been recommended, the latest in Leighton Buzzard

ATM network Link visited these towns and found there was a significant need for new cash services. 

The banking hub recommendations come as Santander announced it will shutter 44 bank branches in a shake-up of its branch network, in a move putting 291 jobs at risk.

The bank said the closures are due to ‘changing customer behaviour’, which has seen more people turn to online banking.

This has seen a 96 per cent surge in digital transactions since 2019 while branch transactions have slumped by 66 per cent in that time, according to Santander.

But new data from Link shows people are still using ATMs and bank branches for banking services despite the shift towards digital payments. 

The average withdrawal from cash machines in 2025 was £1,352, a 5 per cent decrease on 2024’s £1,424 figure.

There were 832million cash withdrawals recorded last year, a 10 per cent increase from 2024. This works out at approximately 15 trips to the ATM per person, withdrawing an average of £92 each time. 

Labour has pledged 350 banking hubs by the end of Parliament. In December, Cash Access UK opened the 200th banking hub open in Billericay, Essex, and there are now 210 hubs open across the UK. It reached its 100 banking hub milestone in December 2024. 

It can take up to a year to set up a banking hub, with most of this time being taken up by finding a location for a new hub.

Link conducts community assessments following the announcement of the closure of any high street bank, a significant change in the hours or services provided, or when a member of a community requests it.

Link then recommends new banking hubs or deposit services and they are delivered by Cash Access UK, which is owned by the banks.

John Howells, CEO of Link says: ‘Almost five years ago, the first two banking hubs opened as part of a pilot to see how we could better protect access to cash. We’re delighted to announce the recommendation of the 250th hub today. The hubs – alongside other solutions – are making a significant difference and helping communities to readily access and deposit cash with ease.’