The Leader of Knowsley Council, Cllr Graham Morgan, has called for a Banking Hub to be opened in Huyton Village Centre when the last two bank branches close.
Lloyds Banking Group have this month confirmed that they will be closing both the Lloyds Bank and Halifax branch in Huyton this November.
The group are also closing Lloyds Bank in Kirkby in June 2027, and a new Banking Hub will open in the town to coincide with that closure – giving people in the town access to face-to-face free banking services from a range of banks. Prescot already has a Banking Hub, which opened In January this year.
However, no Banking Hub is yet planned for Huyton.
The move has sparked concerns from local leaders including MP Anneliese Midgley, who has already voiced her concerns about the impact of the closure of Huyton’s last two banks on local people and businesses.
The decision about whether or not to open a Banking Hub in a town where all existing bank branches close down is made by independent ATM and cash access network LINK. They have so far said Huyton does not meet the criteria for such a facility, as they judge that people in the Village Centre still have “good access to cash” via the Post Office and free to use ATMS – but local leaders disagree, saying that people and businesses in Huyton still need the full range of over-the-counter services.
Now Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council, has joined the calls for LINK to think again about Huyton, and has written to the Chief Executive, John Howells, setting out reasons he believes their original assessment was wrong.
Cllr Morgan said: “I’m extremely concerned about the last two banking branches closing in Huyton in just five months’ time, with no plans in place to offer alternative provision.
“I know of many residents, some elderly or vulnerable, who do not use digital banking, and who would need to use public transport to get to their nearest banking branch – which would be in Prescot. That could be a 25 minute bus ride and a £3 fare each way, which is a huge barrier to them accessing that service.
“We also have a large number of small businesses in Huyton Village Centre – currently more than 100. We know many of their customers shopping locally prefer to use cash – and if the nearest ATM machine is over at Asda, which is outside the village centre, that could have a serious impact on trade.
“With a major redevelopment planned for Huyton Village Centre in the coming years, we expect there to be even more businesses, more shoppers and more people living or staying in the Village Centre itself. Therefore, demand is only going to grow.
“For those reasons and more I’m strongly urging LINK to think again – Huyton needs a Banking Hub and they need to listen to the local voices who understand the impact that a lack of banking services will have on our town centre and our residents.”