Local shops to offer cashback and Post Office opens ‘bank hubs’ in trials to improve access to cash

Post Office 'bank hubs' among the measures to be tested

While coronavirus lockdown restrictions have delayed certain elements of the pilots going live, the measures now being rolled out in order to boost access to cash include:

• New Post Office 'bank hubs' on the high street. Two such hubs have opened today in Rochford, Essex and Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire. While most people can already withdraw and deposit cash and check their bank balance at a Post Office (see below), these new bank hubs go further by letting customers meet with staff from their own bank for face-to-face help.
  
  For example, in Rochford, the branch will be shared by five banks, each of which will serve customers on one day each week - NatWest on Monday, Lloyds on Tuesday, Santander on Wednesday, Barclays on Thursday and HSBC on Friday.
  
  
• More widespread cashback from local stores, restaurants and pubs. In addition, cash withdrawals via PayPoint counters and new, app-based digital services are being tested in order to widen the options for people to get cash locally.
  
  
• Automated cash deposit machines for small businesses. These mean retailers don't have to close to travel to a nearby town bank branch to deposit their takings, helping make cash more viable to use long-term. 

In addition, the scheme is testing the addition of more free ATMs and education services to help those who want to access digital banking.

The locations involved in the Community Access to Cash Pilots (CACP) schemes are:

• in England, Botton Village (North Yorkshire), Burslem (Staffordshire), Lulworth Camp (Dorset), and Rochford (Essex)
• in Scotland, Cambuslang (South Lanarkshire), and Denny (Falkirk)
• in Wales, Hay-on-Wye (Breconshire)
• in Northern Ireland, Millisle (County Down).