Toby Perkins MP
Toby Perkins MP

Toby Perkins MP has joined calls to protect people’s access to cash as industry groups and charities call on the government to not eliminate the use of cash.

The MP for Chesterfield and Staveley attend a drop-in in Parliament to highlight the need to make sure that those who do not use cards or contactless payments are not excluded from accessing shops and services.

It comes as the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) have called on the government to make provision within the Queen’s Speech to create ‘a minimum access requirement for withdrawing cash that meets the commitment the government made in March 2020’. This would mean that local people have facilities to withdraw and deposit cash, use it as a valid method of payment and, that such provision is available with accessible opening hours.

Toby said “I was delighted to attend this event in Parliament. It was great to talk to organisations like the Association of Convenience Stores and Cardtronics about the need maintain this lifeline of cash access.”

He continued “The pandemic caused many retailers and consumer habits to turn to cashless payment options. It is important that, whilst this should be an option, cash payments are able to continue. They are particularly crucial to older customers and constituents who are really struggling during the cost of living crisis.

It is imperative that people are able to access cash locally and without significant costs to do so. Paying out £1.95 in order to access £40 or £50 of cash is absolutely brutal, but unless the care machine providers can agree a fair amount for the machines with banks then they are forced to charge.

The campaign calls for legislative change to ensure that there is free access to cash for every community, which is particularly crucial given the slew of bank branch closures that we have seen such as Lloyds in Staveley and Virgin Money in town.  It is important that the government doesn’t allow those who need to withdraw cash to be excluded or forced to pay cash they desperately need just to access the little cash they have. ”

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