Following Santander’s announcement that it will close its Ilkley branch, LINK has confirmed that Ilkley will receive a banking hub—ensuring that local residents and businesses still have access to vital in-person banking services.
Banking hubs provide a shared space for multiple banks to offer in-person services, ensuring that customers can access cash, pay bills, and receive banking support despite branch closures.
The hubs are run by Cash Access UK, with Post Office staff handling transactions and bank representatives available on a rotating basis for specialist services.
The town’s local MP Robbie Moore, who has been campaigning for a banking hub in Ilkley and Keighley and met with the treasury last year to campaign for the move, has welcomed the announcement and pledged to ensure the plans move forward at pace.
Robbie Moore MP said:
“While Santander’s decision to close its Ilkley branch is deeply disappointing, I welcome the news that after a long campaign for this move, Ilkley has finally been recommended to receive a full banking hub.Last year, I met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to make the case for more banking hubs in our region, where I made it clear that vast numbers of closures of bank branches we have seen in recent years have been completely unacceptable
I will now be meeting with LINK and Cash Access UK to make sure these plans move forward at pace.
But the fight shouldn’t stop there. The same commitment must now be made for Keighley, because the current rules—where banking hubs can only be set up once the final bank branch closes—are simply not good enough for local people.
The banking system must work for local people—not against them.”
Over the coming weeks, Cash Access UK will begin working with the local community and identifying potential sites for the new hub.
To date, 139 banking hubs have opened across the UK, with the government committing to delivering 350 hubs over this Parliament."
