A campaign for a Post Office banking hub in the Hornchurch & Upminster constituency, which includes Harold Hill and Harold Wood, has taken its first small step forward according to the area’s MP, Julia Lopez.
Recently in Westminster, the Hornchurch & Upminster MP met with Link UK, the organisation responsible for the roll out of the hubs, which safeguard access to cash and key banking services.
Mrs Lopez discussed possible locations for a hub, as well as the criteria for a community being eligible for one in the first place.
The campaign came after several bank branch closures across the constituency’s high streets in recent years, the most recent being the closure of the Hornchurch Barclays branch back in May.
Three locations within the constituency were looked at, including Hornchurch, Harold Hill and Upminster, with the latter being the only high street which currently meets the initial criteria for a potential hub.
To be considered for an access to cash assessment, an area must have 70+ retailers within 1km of the high street, have no full-service bank branches and be more than a 15-minute bus ride from the next high street with a bank.
Hornchurch currently has the most coverage by bank branches with several still on the high street and so was deemed ineligible by Link.
Mrs Lopez had lobbied for Harold Hill to be considered as a potential site due to less public transport connectivity and a higher use of physical cash.
However, the Hilldene area of Harold Hill still has a full-service bank branch (TSB) and around 40 retailers, so the community is similarly ineligible.
Julia Lopez MP said:
“I’m very pleased to hear that Upminster is potentially eligible for a banking hub. This is an important initial step in my campaign to secure a hub in the constituency.
“Access to cash is vital for many individuals and businesses in our community, whether it’s older people who may not be as comfortable with using online banking or families who use cash to help them budget their finances – it’s important that people have access to this basic provision.”
Mrs Lopez will soon be launching a survey to gather data to help demonstrate demand for the service in Upminster and has promised to update residents when it launches.
