BIG DEMAND FOR NEW CASH MACHINES

BY TRICIA PHILLIPS BANKS have agreed to cough up a further £4million to fund new free-to-use cash machines across the UK.

A scheme launched in October where people can request an ATM for their local area, which originally had £1million in the pot to fund it, has already received 2700 requests, according to Link, the UK’s main cash machine network.

After the huge response over the past two months, banks and building societies agreed to boost the funding.

Local communities can apply for a cash machine in their area through their MP or local council, or request help directly from Link for support for free access to cash.

Link said it has visited more than 50 locations and has agreed in principle to commission over 20 new ATMs so far. Free-to-use cash machines have been disappearing fast from high streets and, along with thousands of bank branch closures, this has sparked concerns about the availability of cash, particularly in remote and deprived areas where communities are struggling without them. Gareth Shaw, head of money at Which? said: “This industry investment to help the UK’s broken cash landscape is a positive step but it will only plug some of the gaps left by widespread bank branch and cashpoint closures. “The sheer scale of requests coming in from all corners of the country shows that entire communities have been cut off from accessing cash and left struggling to go about their daily lives.”

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