With its last remaining bank set to close, a town could soon be left without access to face-to-face banking services.
In Crowborough, Lloyds Bank is set to close its doors in June, prompting renewed calls for a dedicated banking hub to support residents and businesses.
Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, recently convened a meeting with LINK, the organisation responsible for assessing banking hub needs, to push for a change in its assessment and reinforce the community’s demand after a previous evaluation concluded Crowborough did not qualify for a hub.
LINK’s decision is based on its requirement that 70+ cash reliant businesses operate within a 1-mile radius from the town high street.
Currently, the organisation counts 66 businesses in Crowborough that meet this criterion—four short of the threshold.
However, Ms Ghani and the Crowborough Chamber of Commerce argue that the assessment should include businesses in Jarvis Brook, an area with limited cash access that they say is integral to the town.
LINK has now agreed to review its list of businesses in partnership with the chamber, using updated data for a more accurate picture.
Ms Ghani has said she will continue to push for a different outcome.
She pointed to Hailsham’s hub as a model of success.
Ms Ghani said: "Nobody knows a local community like the people who live there and those who are elected to represent it.
"Jarvis Brook is a key part of Crowborough, and I find it unacceptable that LINK failed to include the needs of those businesses in their assessment.
"With the support of all local residents who filled in my survey and the support of Crowborough Chamber of Commerce, we have been able to provide LINK with community-focussed data reflecting the true need of a Banking Hub, and I hope this will lead to a better outcome.
"We have a precedent of Banking Hubs working well, with Hailsham being a fantastic example.
"We have enough evidence to prove that Crowborough communities deserve one too and I will continue to challenge LINK’s current assessment of Crowborough’s needs."
The original article is available here.
