Yorkshire worst region for bank access - report

Yorkshire and the Humber has the worst access to bank branches in the UK, according to a report.

The region has just 4.4 branches left per 100,000 people, the Which? Money consumer group said.

The East Midlands has the second lowest number of branches with 4.6 per 100,000 people, while Scotland has the most with nine.

New rules overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulator mean if a bank wants to close a branch and it leaves a gap in the community's provision, it must offer alternatives such as banking hubs or more cash machines.

Which? Money's Sam Richardson said nine parliamentary constituencies in Yorkshire now had no bank branches - Barnsley South, Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, Penistone and Stocksbridge, Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, Sheffield Hallam, York Outer, Ossett and Denby Dale, Colne Valley, and Bradford South.

Mr Richardson said banks had cited the shift to online banking as the main reason for the closures.

"That's true, but there are many people who can't, perhaps because they have a disability stopping them using those services," he said.

"Or perhaps they want to talk to someone for face-to-face trusted advice."

According to FCA figures, three million people in the UK rely on cash.

"Being able to take out that cash is vital for them and small businesses also need somewhere to deposit cash, Mr Richardson said.

"Branches closing can have a huge impact on a community."

The Which? report said more than three in every five bank branches across the UK had closed permanently since 2015.

While the impact on local communities could be "devastating", banking hubs have been pitched as one answer for those who do not want to do everything online.

Major banks have recently committed to 350 hubs by 2029, but Mr Richardson said this needed to be accelerated.

"Banking hubs are not being rolled out fast enough," he said.

"Banks really need to pick up the pace."

UK Finance said the banking industry was committed to making cash accessible for those who needed it.

The trade association said many shared banking hubs had already opened across Yorkshire, and Post Office branches also offered many banking services.

Adrian Roberts, of ATM and cash access network Link, said more people now banked and paid for things digitally - but millions still relied on or preferred cash.

He said data showed they were "not just the oldest or poorest in society".

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