Jonathan Davies

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Wishart. Mid Derbyshire has no banks left. Not only is that a source of frustration for local people and businesses, it really irks them because the Government stood behind the banks with public money during the financial crisis. Now we need our banks to stand with our communities. That is why I welcome the Government’s commitment to delivering 350 banking hubs by 2029. Belper in my constituency has one of those banking hubs. It has been a huge success, reporting over 1,500 customer interactions a week, and residents tell me that it has been a lifeline. The evidence is clear: there is huge demand for banking services. I experienced that recently when I was sent a cheque that was a peculiar shape, perhaps designed specifically so that I would not deposit it. It would not be scanned by the app, so I had to make a trip to the bank. I appreciate that more of us are using online services, but there is still a need for in-person services. Hubs like the one in Belper also drive footfall into towns. A vibrant high street is one of the things that creates a real sense of place, which I know is a priority for the Government. There are substantial places in Mid Derbyshire, such as Allestree and Spondon, which remain unserved by in-person banking. A recent constituency survey I conducted drew to my attention local people’s demand for such services. That is why I have written to Link on several occasions to ask for a review of access to cash in those areas. However, Link’s remit is not broad enough to consider banking services as a whole; it only considers access to cash. My ask of the Government, which I have written to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury about, is to broaden Link’s remit so that it can look at how people access services as a whole—not just cash, but advice and guidance when they have concerns. That is particularly important to people in rural communities and those who cannot access online services as many people have begun to do, perhaps because of disability or other factors such as internet access.