The Leader of the Council, Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, highlighted the impact for local residents of the new Banking Hub in Welling at its official opening today (1 December).
“This bank hub will make a big difference to so many local people,” she said, as she opened the hub in Welling High Street alongside Louie French, Member of Parliament for Old Bexley and Sidcup.
The new banking hub, based at 97-99 Welling High Steet (the former Barclays Bank premises), came about as a result of a community request from Cllr Baroness O’Neill OBE to LINK, the UK’s cash access and cash machine network for the return of banks to the high street.
Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE said:
“I’m delighted by the opening of the Welling Bank Hub. This will make a big difference to so many local people. I’d asked for this facility because many residents were very disappointed that all the banks had pulled out of the high street. They told me this was hampering their lives - at best an inconvenience, but for some a source of real distress as they lacked the necessary digital know-how or access.”
Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash set up the new facility. The new Hub will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks and building societies can carry out regular cash transactions.
It will also offer a Community Banker service where customers can talk to their own banking provider about more complicated issues, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Community Bankers will work on rotation, with a different bank available on each day of the week:
- Monday: HSBC
- Tuesday: NatWest
- Wednesday: Lloyds
- Thursday: Barclays
- Friday: Santander (am only)
Cash Access UK is a not-for-profit company owned and funded by nine major banks. Their work is part of a new, collective approach to protecting access to cash. They provide shared services - available to the customers of nine firms - in communities where they are needed most.