A new banking hub has opened in Urmston in response to the high street closures of all banks and building societies.

 The once busy high street in Urmston had branches of Nat West, Royal Bank of Scotland, TSB, Barclays and Santander to name a few. Over several years, each branch has closed leaving Urmston town centre without any formal banking facility.

The closure of branches is reportedly due in part to customer behaviour, which banks citing online banking and declining footfall as the reason behind the closure. However, this has adversely affected a large proportion of the older community.

Issues have reportedly arisen as the service has been developed for elderly people who may be unaware because they do not engage with social media.

The banking hub is provided by Cash Access UK and run locally by the post office.

Cash Access UK is a not-for-profit company funded by major high street banks. It provides cash and basic banking services in communities across the UK. These include shared banking hubs and deposit services, a wider range of needs over time.

The banking hub was officially opened by Andrew Western, Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston on March 16. The hub is housed temporarily within the Venue on Westbourne Road Urmston. Whilst this venue offers free, ample parking, a safe and accessible service, it has received some criticism.

The hub cannot print off personal statements, due to GDPR rules. Also, there is no facility for large cash withdrawals and hot drinks are prohibited due to Health and Safety restrictions.

Mr Western MP said: “They can do an awful lot to help and support people.

“This is something we fought hard for to secure in Urmston, and I am really pleased to see it up and running”.

Peter Monaghan, an Urmston resident was in support of the new facility.

”All kudos to the post office and their great staff for setting this up,” he said.

“My elderly mum has sight and hearing issues and there are so friendly and helpful in there.”

Staff from different major banks are available on rotation for complex issues, the hub offers a Post Office bank five days a week.

Mr Monaghan said: ”I hope they get lots of transferred accounts to the Post Office.”

The temporary hub is looking for a permanent home. The banking hub is open Monday to Friday, 9am until 5pm at 15 Westbourne Road.