Moreton’s new banking hub opens on Friday 20 September.
Almost 12 months to the day since local councillors secured agreement to bring banking back to Moreton, the hub will be located, temporarily, in one of the vacant units at the Coach and Horses pub, in the heart of the town.
The hub will consist of a counter service, where customers of any bank can withdraw and deposit cash, make bill payments and carry out regular banking transactions, regardless of who they bank with.
In addition, there will be private spaces where customers can speak to community bankers from their own bank for more complicated matters that require specialist knowledge or privacy. The banks will be working on a rotating basis, so there will be staff from different banks available on different days.
The facility is being provided by Cash Access UK, on behalf of Link and working with a range of banks and building societies.
Open initially five days a week, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm, the banking hub is the first in Wirral to have been triggered by a ‘community request’, in this case, by Councillors Vida Wilson, Gary Bennett and Colin Baldwin.
The five banks that have agreed to take part in Moreton, and the days when they will be in the hub, are:
- Monday: NatWest
- Tuesday: Santander
- Wednesday: Lloyds
- Thursday: Barclays
- Friday: Halifax
Councillor Vida Wilson (Conservative, Moreton West & Saughall Massie) said: “Ever since the last bank left Moreton, the lack of day-to-day banking services has been a big issue for residents and local shops and businesses. Not everyone can use, or wants to use, an app on their phone, and there are also some more complex issues that are best sorted face to face.
“While the negotiations between Cash Access UK and the landlord of the potential permanent hub are ongoing, the lack of access to these kind of services was a concern to everyone involved.
“We’re grateful to Cash Access UK for agreeing to open now, albeit at a temporary location, so that people in Moreton don’t miss out any longer on these essential services.”
Lisa McGreevy, Project Manager for Cash Access UK, added: “The temporary hub is a provision we provide prior to the permanent hub, as the agreements for these can take some time.
“By providing a temporary hub, we can ensure that the community has access to their banking requirements in a much shorter timeframe. This will then remain open until the permanent hub opens.”
