Don’t kill cash

sir – You report (February 19) that Britain could soon be cashless. I do not believe that the Bank of England could ever reliably calculate the size of the British cash market. The fact that the value of cash in circulation is rising while the Bank of England claims that the number of transactions is falling highlights a fundamental difficulty.

Fewer free cash machines, fewer bank branches (charging higher cash-handling tariffs) and a decade of ultra-low interest rates encouraged people to hoard and reuse cash.

Many are understandably suspicious of retailers monitoring their personal shopping habits, but the banks and business community are actively discriminating against people who wish to exercise their freedom of choice and use cash. They feel marginalised and retreat further from the country’s financial structures.

We are recreating a sub-section of society that is (almost) unbanked, purely for commercial profit.

Cash may not be king any longer – the repeal of the Truck Acts might have been the start of that – but it still has a vital part to play in this country. We should not force its early demise. Ivan Ball

North Elmham, Norfolk