Link to launch 15 new banking hubs as over 6,000 high-street banks shut doors

The ATM network is set to open 15 new banking hubs to fill the void after a raft of high-street bank closures, the FCA has announced. Is one opening near you?

With a line of people waiting behind her, the mid adult woman smiles as she hands her debit card to the unrecognizable male bank teller.
(Image credit: SDI Productions)

Link, the ATM network, is to launch 15 new banking hubs, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced. This is in addition to the 14 locations already announced in July, in a bid to tackle increasing branch closures.

The move comes as the FCA’s new rule to improve access to cash in communities kicks in today (18 September). The rule requires high-street banks to review whether their branch closures are leaving customers with limited access to cash, and to fill the void. 

More than 6,000 banks and building societies have closed their doors since January 2015, according to consumer group Which?. Customers who need face-to-face service are having to travel further to another branch or use an alternative service as a result.

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The closures include major players – the latest being Lloyds Banking Group which will hit almost 300 branch closures in 2025. HSBC, Lloyds and TSB branches are also disappearing from the high street as they move towards digital banking. The Labour party has pledged to open at least 350 banking hubs, recognising the need for banking to be widely available on the high street again.

The arrival of banking hubs means you can still stick with your provider and use your bank’s services in person. We saw banking hubs open up in the summer of 2023 and there are now around 81 in the UK.

Sheldon Mills, executive director for consumers and competition at the FCA said: “3.1 million adults still use cash for everyday payments. The new rules are intended to ensure that individuals and businesses who rely on cash can continue to access it.”

While you have the option to switch bank accounts to a provider that has a branch near you, there is no guarantee its branch will remain open in the future.  

Find out if one of the 15 is opening near you, and if you’re eligible to use a banking hub. 

Where will the new banking hubs open?

The 15 new banking hubs, operated by the Post Office, will open next year in the following locations. They will be free to use.  

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New banking hub locations
Sidcup, London
Normanton, West Yorkshire
Hailsham, East Sussex
Frome, Somerset
Sheerness, Kent
Rugeley, Staffordshire
Newquay, Cornwall
Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Thetford, Norfolk
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Yeadon, West Yorkshire
Morecambe, Lancashire
Monmouth, Wales
Huntly, Aberdeenshire
Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear

These will open in addition to the 14 new banking hub locations announced in July.  

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Banking hubs locations
Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland
Cowdenbeath, Fife, Scotland
Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland
Newton Stewart, Dumfries, Scotland
Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland
Wick, Highland, Scotland
Littlehampton, Sussex, England
Alcester, Warwickshire, England
Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Spennymoor, County Durham, England
Stanley, County Durham, England
Warwick, Warwickshire, England
Woodbridge, Suffolk, England

You can check if one of the hubs that are already scattered around the UK is near you on the Cash Access website

Link has also announced nine deposit service sites to open in a year. Deposit services allow customers and small businesses to deposit cash in their bank account. 

These are the deposit service locations.

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Deposit services
North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
Blyth, Northumberland, England
Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, Wales
Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England
Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England
Liskeard, Cornwall, England
St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England
Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England
Wadebridge, Cornwall, England

How do banking hubs work? 

Customers from various banks can access services in a banking hub, but it’s not open to everyone. The services include withdrawing or cashing in money, making bill payments or speaking to an adviser. 

To use a banking hub, you need to be banking with one of the following providers: 

  • Barclays
  • HSBC
  • Lloyds Bank
  • NatWest
  • Santander
  • TSB
  • Virgin Money
  • Bank of Ireland UK
  • Danske Bank
Vaishali Varu
Staff Writer

Vaishali has a background in personal finance and a passion for helping people manage their finances. As a staff writer for MoneyWeek, Vaishali covers the latest news, trends and insights on property, savings and ISAs.

She also has bylines for the U.S. personal finance site Kiplinger.com and Ideal Home, GoodTo, inews, The Week and the Leicester Mercury

Before joining MoneyWeek, Vaishali worked in marketing and copywriting for small businesses. Away from her desk, Vaishali likes to travel, socialise and cook homely favourites