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Banking hubs

(24 Posts)
FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 22-Mar-25 14:32:53

Santander are closing branches in the UK.

Here is a full list of the 19 banking hub locations opening across the UK following Santander's announcement:

Bexhill-on-Sea (East Sussex)
Billericay (Essex)
Dover (Kent)
Droitwich (Worcestershire)
Dunstable (Beds)
East Grinstead (West Sussex)
Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey)
Ilkley (West Yorkshire)
Larne (Antrim, NI)
Maldon (Essex)
Morley (West Yorkshire)
North Walsham (Norfolk)
Redcar (North Yorkshire)
Saffron Walden (Essex)
St Annes on Sea (Lancashire)
Turriff (Aberdeenshire)
Uckfield (East Sussex)
Urmston (Great Manchester)

I see we are getting one in our town which pleases me. We used to have 4 banks, very shortly none.

Have any of you got one of these hubs? Do you use it? What are your thoughts?

We bank on line anyway and there are plenty of ATMs in the square below us.

I think these hubs seem a good idea. I imagine staff redundancies might have to happen though and/or early retirements but the way we purchase goods has changed so much hasn’t it over the years so this change was to be expected I suppose.

Shinamae Sat 22-Mar-25 14:34:43

We still have a Santander branch in my town……. At the moment..

Ilovecheese Sat 22-Mar-25 14:38:28

I'm not sure if this is a banking hub but we have a caravan from Barclays in the church hall car park a couple of hours a week. They don't actually carry any cash though.
Luckily we still have a NatWest branch (for now)

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 22-Mar-25 14:52:20

Our Nat West closes mid May.
The Santander closing soon not sure exactly when - hence the hub. Which I imagine will be a shared space for several banks?
Cuts down on costs even further. Maybe a day each? I’m curious as to the set up of them really.

escaped Sat 22-Mar-25 15:26:02

I'll add at least one more.
Santander Honiton (Devon) closing July 14th.
We have a banking hub in town, but there's NO ATM! Also, you have to book an appointment because your bank is only there one day a week. You can't pay off your credit card with a wodge of cash. The list of irritations is endless.
We bank online.

tanith Sat 22-Mar-25 15:42:23

It’s no wonder really I can’t remember the last time I visited a Santander branch a quick survey of my family reveals no one has used a branch for years. I agree it’s a shame for those that need to.

OldFrill Sat 22-Mar-25 16:08:20

Banking hubs, operated by Cash Access, staffed by the Post office and funded by major banks.
www.cashaccess.co.uk/about-us/what-we-do/

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 22-Mar-25 16:12:46

Thanks OldFrill for the link! That answered a lot of my questions. I didn’t realise the Post Office (LINK) were involved.

Luckily here we have more cash machines than you could shake a stick at. Which will help.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 22-Mar-25 16:15:01

escaped my list were the hubs due to open at some stage.
The link OldFrill supplied said they take around 12 months to set one up.

SusieB50 Sat 22-Mar-25 16:15:59

I live in Greater London in a medium sized town . We have no banks or building societies with just a NationWide a bus ride away , nothing else. Our 3 ATM machines are constantly being tampered with . I use very little cash and I bank on line, but many older people don’t and we have a larger than average older population. I feel really sorry for them . Thank goodness we still have a wonderful post office situated in an equally wonderful Pharmacy . They are both so helpful and supportive of the local community.

escaped Sat 22-Mar-25 16:19:52

FriedGreenTomatoes2

escaped my list were the hubs due to open at some stage.
The link OldFrill supplied said they take around 12 months to set one up.

Oops silly me! Didn't read properly! Just saw Santander!

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 22-Mar-25 16:33:20

😁 seems we have similar ‘attention to detail’.!

grannyqueenie Sat 22-Mar-25 16:50:43

We have a new banking hub with different banks there for personal service on each day of the week, though I understand you can use it any day for drawing out or paying in. Sadly it has no cash point which seems strange to me and very inconvenient too. Just 2 x cash machines each at a supermarket seems inadequate for a town of more than 14,000 people!

Elowen33 Sat 22-Mar-25 16:52:05

I can’t remember when I last went into a bank, it must be many years ago.

Out of interest, why do people go into a bank?

Cossy Sat 22-Mar-25 17:09:12

We have some banks still in not-so-sunny Southend, Halifax, NatWest and Santander.

Last time I went into a bank was almost exactly 1 year ago, we purchased our holiday lodge and I wanted a faster poster, due to the amount I had to go into the branch.

Before that? Don’t know, I bank (& do almost everything) online and have done for years, but I also appreciate some people still like a human touch and maybe this gets them out of the house, so choice is important, if it’s viable.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 22-Mar-25 17:10:15

My stepfather (92) likes to go in occasionally to move his money around. He doesn’t bank on line. He will therefore occasionally use the hub I think.

I bank online but I’ve no money to move around so I don’t ‘need’ a bank. 😂

OldFrill Sat 22-Mar-25 17:11:38

People use banks/hubs to withdraw/ deposit cashcheques, pay bills, and talk face to face with a bank employee. Businesses also use them for cash/cheque deposits/withdrawals.
Not everyone has/likes or is able to use alternative methods.

Gin Sat 22-Mar-25 17:40:43

Our market is a thriving one where most transactions are cash. On market day in our town you always saw stall holders banking their takings. I do not know what they will do now Barclays, Nat West and Lloyds have closed, HSB is now a restaurant and two local building societies have also gone The High Street now has some beautiful buildings empty, though one is now a bookies! We still have a Nationwide and Santander but I believe that will close soon.

I had to go to the next town to open a new ISA. Yes I could have done it remotely but wanted to ask some questions and that is not east on line, I prefer a proper conversation.

ayse Sat 22-Mar-25 17:44:58

Yes I could have done it remotely but wanted to ask some questions and that is not east on line, I prefer a proper conversation.

The info online doesn’t answer the sort of questions I generally have and speaking to a real person is increasingly difficult

valdavi Sat 22-Mar-25 17:55:44

We need a bank as we run a business & accept cash, which obviously needs to be paid in in quite large amounts.Unless & until cash disappears, then that won't change.

hulahoop Sat 22-Mar-25 18:06:55

We have no banks and now the one in another town which is about 5miles away is closing. I am disgusted we have businesses which take cash only and I know a lot of elderly are upset not everyone does it likes on line banking .

NotAGran55 Sat 22-Mar-25 18:14:04

We have a business and reluctantly take some cash which we deposit in the village Post Office. Rare cheques are paid in on the banking app.
All other transactions are online, card payments in, and the odd telephone call.

I can’t remember the last time I went to a bank for a personal reason, many years ago, and I can’t think of any reason I might ever need to.

Jaxjacky Sat 22-Mar-25 18:37:44

I last used a physical bank 6 years ago after my Mum died, for access to her account, POA in place, I bank online.

mum2three Sun 23-Mar-25 17:44:02

I think banking hubs are a good idea but the lack of privacy concerns me. When you draw cash out in the bank, it's pretty private. In the Post Office, your details come up on the teller's screen. There was one occasion when a man at the counter next to me, tried to draw cash and the cashier told him that his account was empty. Obviously his payment was late, but he was very embarrassed.