Nearly 3m people will live in a parliamentary constituency without a physical bank branch by the end of the year, research by Which? indicates.
Banks and building societies have closed at an alarming rate in recent years, with over 5,800 branches shutting since 2015, the consumer group said.
Which? research indicates that 30 parliamentary constituencies, with an estimated population of 2.8m people, will have no physical bank branches left by the end of this year.
A spokesperson for UK Finance, which represents the banking and finance industry, said: “An ever increasing number of people are using telephone, mobile and internet banking and fewer people are visiting bank branches on a regular basis.
“This means banks are having to make difficult decisions about the number of branches they operate. A decision to close one is never taken lightly and only happens after an extensive review of its usage and consideration of other options in the local area.
“The banking industry is committed to ensuring there is continued access to cash for those who need it, when they need it. Significant ongoing investment is being made to deliver this commitment, including shared banking hubs, free ATMs and cashback without purchase.
“There are 31 shared banking hubs open now across the country, with a further 70 scheduled to open later this year.
“There is also the option to do a lot of day-to-day banking at the Post Office, which has around 11,500 branches across the UK.”
Wirral West is one of the constituencies identified by the customer group which used census data to make population estimates.
Wirral West MP, Margaret Greenwood, told the Globe: “A number of Wirral West residents have been in touch with me because they are concerned about the impact of bank closures.
“When the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act was going through parliament, I supported and spoke in favour of an amendment that would have required the government to engage with local authorities to devise strategies to reduce the number high street banks and post offices becoming vacant premises.
“Unfortunately, the government voted this amendment down.”
In July 2023, LINK, the UK’s Cash Access and ATM network, announced that Natwest, the final bank branch in the town, would close an that the area would benefit from a new banking hub “as part of a wider commitment to protect access to cash”.
READ: Banking hub planned to open in West Kirby next year
Cllr Greenwood added: “Access to banking services is incredibly important, particularly for those who are not able to, or do not have the facility to, access the internet and carry out their transactions online.
“I have met with Cash Access UK who are in the process of setting up a banking hub in West Kirby. Once operational, people will be able to use the service to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, make balance enquiries, pay utility bills and talk to a community banker from their own bank about managing their account.
“I hope that this banking hub can be set up as soon as possible so that people are able to benefit from it.”
