Cashless society will exclude many people

IT was with great disappointment that I read a recent P Collins’ letter about moving away from cash.

It’s people of that opinion who are fuelling the relentless drive towards a so-called cashless society and ultimately the closure of hundreds of high street bank branches. But cash is vital to our society, and here are some of the reasons I think why...

I do tin collections for Marie Curie standing outside supermarkets, garden centres and the like, collecting cash from extremely kind people who give their loose change, and sometimes very generously notes, to help people suffering from terminal conditions in their hour of need.

Over the past 12 months or more, I haven’t been able to do that due to the Covid restrictions so, instead, I turned to making and selling facemasks to raise much-needed funds. Again, these masks have been bought with good old-fashioned cash. I thank each and every person from the bottom of my heart who has bought one.

I have a friend whose brother has learning difficulties, he is very happily married to a lovely lady who also has learning difficulties. With the support of their family and the appropriate agencies, they live relatively independently in a flat. They are unable to do online banking or use credit or debit cards, they only recognise cash.

As part of their independent living, every week they each have £25 cash (in £5 denominations because that’s the only note they can recognise/understand), to spend out and about in various shops, and to have a coffee, etc. Without cash they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the simple pleasures everyone else takes for granted, and even more so postlockdowns!

While there are many older people who are very tech savvy, equally there are just as many, if not more, who are not. They don’t shop online and they don’t bank online; all they want is to go shopping and be able to use cash and to go into their local bank branch for help and advice.

I have to say, since chip and pin, online shopping and online banking were introduced, there has never been so much fraud. This so-called ‘victimless crime’ is costing the banks, and ultimately its customers (i.e. us!) millions of pounds a year.

Under the guise of ‘Covid Safety’ our choices are gradually being eroded. Cash has always carried germs, hence under food hygiene rules it has always been the case that you must not serve food, then handle cash, without inbetween washing your hands or using gloves. It’s a well-known fact that most notes in circulation are contaminated with cocaine. So why the complete and utter paranoia now?

In recent years, all we have heard are various government ministers and many organisations banging on about ‘inclusion, inclusion, inclusion’. It’s important that no-one feels left out or disadvantaged in any way. By doing away with cash, that’s exactly what the banks are doing, excluding large sections of the community. So please stop it now!

Annette Bryant Clevedon, Somerset