00:00The second application is from Caroline Bowden, and this is for a request for a debate on provision of face
00:08-to-face banking services in rural areas.
00:11And this is for an application for Westminster Hall on a Tuesday morning.
00:17Thank you, Chair.
00:18So, as you will see from the number of MPs who have supported this application, access to face-to-face
00:23banking services is a significant concern in many rural areas.
00:27And we do have backers from all, well, from the three parties for the debate.
00:33Bank branches are closing every week across the country, leaving many towns without any high street banks.
00:38But these towns are often a hub for a wider community of villages and hamlets.
00:43So each bank closure is leaving thousands of residents without access to face-to-face banking services.
00:48I only have one bank left in a large rural constituency where public transport is negligible.
00:54And people may have to travel for well over an hour to reach the nearest branch of their bank.
00:59But face-to-face services are essential.
01:02People need advice on complex transactions.
01:04They need advice on future financial planning.
01:07And for many people, especially the elderly, they need to be able to talk to someone face-to-face.
01:12Many are unable to use online services.
01:15Others don't trust them.
01:16And we should not be permitting a system that shuts these people out.
01:19Digital connectivity also presents a real challenge in rural areas.
01:24And I speak from the heart, from my constituency.
01:27So the eligibility criteria for banking hubs changed in September 2024, meaning that assessments are now based on access to
01:35cash rather than access to actual banking services.
01:38But cash machines are not a substitute for banks.
01:41And post offices are often located in busy shops, queues can be long, and they cannot complete banking transactions or
01:49give advice.
01:50So this debate will give members the opportunity to highlight the situation in their own constituency and to share experiences
01:56of their constituents.
01:57We must reconsider the responsibility of banks to provide services to all their customers.
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