WISHART SEEKS PUBLIC'S VIEWS ON ACCESS TO CASH

Published date : 01 February, 2022

Tuesday 01 February 2022 - For Immediate Release

Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire and Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, is seeking to get views from members of the public across Scotland about their access to cash, at a time where payments are increasingly being made electronically.

It comes after the Scottish Affairs Committee launched a survey to investigate the issue, amid fears that people living in rural areas who rely on cash are being disproportionately affected due to having fewer ATMs and bank branches nearby than urban areas.

By 2019, card payments had grown to 51% of all payments, but in 2020 the Financial Conduct Authority found that 10% of all adults rely on cash for most of their daily purchases.

Commenting, Mr Wishart said:

“In the seven years between 2015 and 2022, the majority of banks that existed on Scottish high streets closed their doors for good. Throughout the UK, Scotland has experienced the highest proportion of bank closures.

“Our committee is fully aware that the bank closures and challenges to accessing cash will hit many communities hard, and that is why we have opened this survey. We want to hear from people throughout Scotland how they are finding the transition to more digital payments for goods, and what – if anything – the UK government can do to ensure they can still access the money they need.

The online survey is anonymous and comprises of four questions. It can be taken, here, before 09 February 2022.

ENDS

Economy

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