SADDLEWORTH Parish Council has moved forward with hopes it can attract a Banking Hub to the area – and had parliamentary support.
Branches of high street names have left, meaning a journey either to Oldham town centre or the neighbouring borough of Tameside – which itself is seeing them diminish – for customers.
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But when they are closed, the number of places where money can be withdrawn is dwindling.
Now the Parish Council has revealed it has launched its bid to get a Banking Hub – which sees representatives from different banks in the same place on different days – to Saddleworth.
One possible site may be the former Natwest on Uppermill’s High Street, which closed in 2017.
And MP Debbie Abrahams has lent her support to the proposal – she will also push its merits to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds – whose Stalybridge and Hyde constituency, which borders Greenfield, Grasscroft and Grotton, has one.
Saddleworth Parish told the Independent: “While access to cash is important, the council is aware there are no banks in Saddleworth Parish and few in the Oldham area, where people can go for financial advice.
“The council has recently contacted LINK, the company responsible for financial services provision, and completed an application requesting a review of the cash facilities and to request the provision of a banking hub for Saddleworth.
“LINK has acknowledged the application and are currently assessing it.
“Our MP, Debbie Abrahams, has kindly written to us in support of this application, as she is acutely aware of the closure of all banks in Saddleworth and many in Oldham.
“Debbie is raising the matter with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the Parish Council’s behalf. “
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.”
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