Crowborough’s bid to have a new banking hub after the last bank branch announced it was closing its doors has been rejected.
LINK, the organisation responsible for making assessments and recommending where banking hubs be set up in specific town or villages, has concluded there is not enough need to require a banking hub.
The news has angered Sussex Weald MP, Nusrat Ghani, who, together with Crowborough Town Council, has been pressing for a banking hub to be set up after Lloyds Bank announced it was closing in June.
She has immediately submitted an appeal against LINK’s assessment that Crowborough will have adequate cash facilities even once Lloyds, which is the last remaining bank on Crowborough high street, closes.
Ms Ghani set up a petition for local residents to share their views on the impact this will have and has been working closely with Crowborough Town Council Mayor, Cllr Natalie Whittle, and Crowborough Chamber of Commerce on formulating the appeal.
In the appeal Nusrat has challenged LINK’s assumption that there are only 66 business on the high street with cash needs, highlighting their inability to factor Jarvis Brook retailers into their assessment. She is also trying to establish why LINK believe Crowborough had adequate cash facilities.
Now that the appeal has been formally submitted, LINK will be required to undertake a reassessment of the local needs. This will include looking again at the number of business which rely on cash access, and the ATM access which may be available to the general public.
Ms Ghani said: “Ever since Lloyds announced that they would be closing their branch, I have been inundated with emails letting me know how this will impact the daily lives of Crowborough residents.
“As soon as I heard about the news, I launched my survey which received hundreds of useful responses that helped me put the case forward to LINK. I am grateful to everybody submitted a response on how this decision will impact them personally.
“By working closely with the Crowborough Town Council Mayor, Cllr Natalie Whittle, and the Crowborough Chamber of Commerce, I reflected the needs and feelings of local residents and businesses in my appeal and now it has been submitted, the onus is on LINK to better assess the needs of our community and reconsider their decision. I will update residents as soon as I have had a response.”
- LINK is the body that assesses need for a banking hub – a space where customers from different banks can share facilities. If it agrees, like in Hailsham, the onus then falls on Cash Access UK, working in collaboration with the high street banks and the Post Office to deliver the hub itself.