Stuart Anderson MP has vowed to launch an appeal, after South Shropshire was denied a banking hub. Almost 200 residents signed Stuart’s petition, calling for the installation of a local banking hub.
In a key debate in Parliament on Wednesday 25th June, Stuart said that he ‘does not want to wait until every bank to close before we get a banking hub.’
This follows the closure of Lloyds bank branches in both Ludlow and Bridgnorth, which each had 720 and 638 monthly customers. They both had served many residents, businesses, and local groups.
Stuart said that local banking hubs could help residents access continue to access everyday banking services. The banking sector has committed to delivering 350 such hubs by the end of the Parliament.
165 residents signed a petition, calling for a banking hub in South Shropshire, which ran on his website between February and April 2025.
Responses were received from residents from Bridgnorth and Ludlow, as well as from other villages that have been impacted by the bank closures, such as Church Stretton and Cleobury Mortimer. Stuart submitted the results of his petition to LINK in May. They are responsible for the location of banking hubs and consider certain criteria in making their decisions.
This includes whether another bank branch remains nearby, the local population, the number of cash-accepting businesses, and community financial vulnerability. Prior to the closure of a bank branch or ATM, LINK conducts a comprehensive review that evaluates the community’s cash requirements, including accessibility, local demographics, and vulnerability.
In a response to Stuart’s survey, they stated: “Your survey helps us understand the depth of local support for cash access.” However, they added that South Shropshire is not eligible for a banking hub.
In their response, they state:
“LINK has assessed the cash access needs in both towns recently, when we were notified of Lloyds’ intention to close their branches. The outcome of both assessments was that we did not recommend any additional services… We cannot normally recommend a banking hub in towns that still have a bank branch which serves local businesses and personal customers… Should there be any further changes to the level of cash access in either town, however, we would carry out another assessment.“
In their response, LINK stated Bridgnorth is still served by Nationwide and HSBC, while Ludlow retains NatWest and Nationwide branches. Both are also served by free-to-use ATMs and post offices. They also stated that they will make sure the free-to-use ATM which serves the high street in Cleobury Mortimer remains there for residents, ‘even if the operator decides it is no longer commercially feasible.’
Stuart has disagreed with this assessment and called for the criteria to take a more ‘proactive’ approach, explaining that the current criteria means that it ‘watches the decline of our high street.’
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Access to cash and financial services is vital part of everyday life in a rural economy like ours in South Shropshire. Almost 200 residents responded to my petition calling for banking hubs in South Shropshire. I am devastated that this has been ruled this out. With the recent closure of Lloyds Bank in Ludlow and Bridgnorth, urgent government intervention is needed. I am appealing this decision and have used a key debate in Parliament to call for the eligibility criteria to be reviewed. Urgent action must be taken to stop our rural areas from becoming banking deserts.”
