Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs has written to the Prime Minister expressing her concern about Lloyds Bank customers no longer able to cash in cheques at Post Offices.
At a meeting of the council’s Cabinet, Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin confirmed that she will also write to the Lloyds Banking Group seeking reassurances around mitigations they should put in place to support rural communities.
Lloyds is reported saying that customers can instead deposit cash at their local Post Office branch using their debit card, and they could cash in cheques via their mobile app.
In her message to the Prime Minister, which has cross-party support from all group leaders at Devon County Council, and is also supported by Devon Communities Together, Councillor Cottle-Hunkin describes Post Offices as a ‘lifeline for rural communities, especially as the number of UK bank branches has fallen dramatically,’ which, she says ‘disproportionately affects rural areas.’
She has urged the government to
- engage with Lloyds Banking Group to reverse their decision and maintain cheque deposit facilities at Post Offices
- ensure rural banking access standards are upheld in line with commitments to financial inclusion
- and to accelerate the rollout of banking hubs and strengthen the Post Office Banking Framework to protect essential services
“This is not simply a matter of convenience,” she says.
“It is about fairness, accessibility, and sustaining rural economies.”
Councillor Cottle-Hunkin again thanked fellow councillor and Postmaster, Councillor Stuart Rogers, for bringing the matter to her attention.
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