Town completely abandoned by banks could be handed a lifeline

A bid to bring banking services back to a Radcliffe has been submitted. Community group Growing Together Radcliffe has applied for the town to be assessed for one of the hubs and has advised Bury council of its plan.

Six years ago, Radcliffe - which has a population of around 30,000 - had three banks and a building society. Now there are none.

The Halifax building society closed in 2019, with the The Royal Bank of Scotland shutting its doors a year earlier. Its last remaining bank branch, the TSB on Market Place, closed last year.

Banking Hubs provide face-to-face access to cash and banking, whichever bank customers use. They are owned by Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office, with community bankers from major banks available on different days.

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They're also somewhere to speak in person with a community representative from customers' own banks. They are often on-site a specific day each week to help with more complicated transactions - such as mortgages, loans and pensions.

Local community bankers can offer debt advice and help with fraud prevention on their dedicated day of the week. Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Danske bank, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, TSB, Ulster Bank and Virgin Money take part in the scheme, but availability will vary for each banking hub based on local demand.

Banking Hubs have already opened in Rochford, Cambuslang, Brixham, Cottingham, Troon and Acton. Another 44 banking hub locations have been announced including Heywood and Horwich.

The application has been made by Growing Together Radcliffe, an umbrella body for