Bexhill and Battle MP, Huw Merriman, has welcomed a recent U-turn by Barclays bank which means that their customers will continue to be able to withdraw cash across of the Post Office network.
The U-turn came about following pressure from MPs, including Huw, who called on them to reverse a decision which meant that Barclays customers would not be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts from the Post office counter. For the past two years, Huw has championed access to cash for local residents following the closure of a number of high street banks in his constituency which have left local communities without convenient access to cash. When Huw heard that Barclays were going to pull the plug on cash withdrawals for customers, he immediately contacted the bank to find out what prompted their decision. Alongside113 MPs from across the political divide, Huw wrote to the bank’s Chief Executive, Jes Staley, with the demand that he ‘review and reverse this decision to prevent constituents from being further side-lined in our local and national economies’.
Huw said “Whilst I understand the need for high street banks to regularly review their services, I was unable to support Barclays’ decision to remove access to cash for their customers from the local Post Office network. Whilst I have no doubt that we are moving further towards a cashless society, it is very clear to me that a high number of local residents, businesses and visitors still need access to cash in their communities. Our small businesses rely on cash transactions and our hard-working local community Post Offices also rely on banking transactions in order to remain sustainable. High street banks must remember their obligations to their customers when they close their smaller branches which includes allowing them to continue to access cash and services from local Post Offices as originally promised. I am pleased that Barclays has reversed this decision as it demonstrates their commitment and responsibility to customers and local communities. Having recently visited the Bexhill branch, and seen their community outreach, I know that local hard-working staff share that commitment and its reassuring that HQ do as well.’
