A SADDLEWORTH councillor has demanded a new banking hub for the area after it lost 75 per cent of its facilities in nine years.
The area’s parish council has requested an ‘access to cash’ review by the industry regulator Link.
Closures of bank branches and the withdrawal of cash machines have left many facing a journey to be able to get their money as three quarters of options have disappeared since 2015.
Tesco supermarket in Greenfield has an ATM, while they are also available inside Uppermill’s Co-Op and the store in Delph.
Post Offices in Delph, Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross and Diggle also conduct cash deposits and withdrawals.
But when they are closed, the number of places where money can be withdrawn is diminishing.
And Cllr Sam Al-Hamdani believes a dedicated hub for Saddleworth is needed, with the area’s size a prime reason.
The Saddleworth Parish Council Liberal Democrat group leader said: “The sheer size of Saddleworth – about 50 per cent of the whole of the Oldham borough – means it is really easy for people to be isolated, and that means the lack of services really hits hard.
“We are seeing banks closing in the centre of Oldham, they have long gone from the villages of Saddleworth and we need alternatives.
“Banking hubs are exactly that and I can’t understand why Link haven’t already identified the area as being in need of additional support.”
More than 100 locations across the UK have been identified by Link as being in need of new banking facilities, such as banking hubs and deposit services, although far fewer have actually been delivered.
And Cllr Al-Hamdani believes the banking issue forms part of a bigger question.
He added: “Saddleworth has pockets of deprivation and there are significant numbers of people who are left without services such as banking – there aren’t even many cash machines that are available 24/7.
“We need basic services – not just banking but access to GPs, for example.
“The construction industry is broken – all we get is expensive houses that make profits for developers.
“That needs to change and that’s why we’re putting the need for these essential services first.”
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