Julie Marson, MP for Hertford and Stortford, has today confirmed that, following her campaign and efforts, Ware will be the recipient of a brand new banking hub.
Mrs Marson set up a campaign earlier this year for Ware to receive a shared infrastructure bank to safeguard the community’s access to cash.
Julie met with LINK, the organisation that assesses an area’s access to cash needs, in June and asked them to look at Ware, following the loss of all six of its high street banks prior to her election and the MP’s subsequent campaign to save the Post Office on the High Street.
LINK undertook a thorough review of Ware, including an analysis of the population data, vulnerability measures, current free access to cash, and the level of provision of banking facilities. Representatives from the organisation also visited the community to gain a more detailed understanding of the local circumstances. Following this investigation, LINK concurred with Mrs Marson’s assessment and recommended Ware as a location for a new banking hub. LINK also confirmed to Mrs Marson that they would work with Cash Access UK to implement it.
Mrs Marson confirmed the news on her Facebook page earlier today.
Commenting, the local MP said:
“I am grateful that LINK has acted on my request for a banking hub in Ware. This will make a big difference to local people and to our town. Securing access to cash in Ware is extremely important. After losing all six of our high street banks, I am delighted that we will now have a range of banking services at the soon-to-reopen Post Office and the shared infrastructure bank.”
Mrs Marson has also requested that LINK assess Hertford and Sawbridgeworth in a similar way. HSBC in Hertford closed earlier this Summer with the NatWest branch set to close its doors for the final time on 15th August 2023. Similarly, Sawbridgeworth lost its last bank, a Barclays branch, in 2018.