Subpostmasters back bill to stop slide into cashless society

The bill, to be presented by Duncan Baker MP, will ensure that banking institutions are mandated to maintain a minimum level of banking services for their customers, including the provision of cash via the post office network, even when they have left an area.

Calum Greenhow, chief executive of the NFSP, said: “We welcome this Ten-Minute Rule Bill and throw our support behind it completely. Our subpostmasters want to continue supporting all members of our local communities and the government need to support the drive for a stronger alliance between banks and post offices to ensure we can look after the most vulnerable who require access to the services that only post offices can provide once a bank has left the area. We look forward to continuing our work with those sponsoring the bill to try and ensure it gets government support and enters the statute book.”

The bill has been co-sponsored by a number of high-profile MPs including Jeremy Hunt, Graham Brady, Esther McVey, and chair of the APPG on Post Offices Marion Fellows.

Baker said: “The bill strengthens the current banking framework to ensure that local communities have access to the banking services they need to function. Banks are closing around the country, and the trend is only intensifying. Between 2010 and 2018 about 5,000 bank and building society branches in England closed, a rate of almost two every day.

“A recent survey by the National Federation of SubPostmasters has shown that subpostmasters act as an unofficial support network for over 300,000 vulnerable people and this bill will ensure that authorised financial institutions, like the Post Office, can step in to provide the facilities needed in a financially inclusive manner and ensure that no one is left behind.”