Trailblazing idea to bring banks back to Portchester after five years – the elderly and traders need it

Councillor Paul Whittle (Con, Portchester Wicor) and wife Councillor Lisa Whittle (Con, Fareham Town) proposed and seconded a motion at Fareham Borough Council on July 22 to bring a banking hub to Portchester as part of its regeneration.

A campaigner said the idea could be “trailblazing”.

The motion said: “A Banking Hub is a facility developed and managed by Cash Access UK in cooperation with LINK and the major banks to provide a Monday-Friday banking service, including more than cash deposits and withdrawals, on a daily rotation of the main banks at a location in the community.”

Speaking at the meeting, local Conservative campaigner Peter Maunder said the banking facilities will give greater viability to Portchester as a destination and for local businesses. He said it was important for elderly people who liked using cash to budget and it could be trailblazing for Fareham if other areas adopt the hubs as people see it working.

He said: “You can’t bank cash online. It can take businesses an hour out of their day to travel into Fareham to do banking.”

The motion said the scheme would benefit the 17,000 residents of Portchester.

Cllr Whittle said there are no bank branches left in Portchester after Lloyds Bank departed in August 2020 and NatWest left in March 2015, making it difficult for residents to access banking services.

MP for Fareham and Waterlooville, Suella Braverman, has launched a petition calling for banking facilities that has already been signed by 500 people.

In the online petition, Mrs Braverman said: “Banking hubs offer easy access to face-to-face cash and banking in the heart of communities across the UK.

“They are owned by Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office. “

The motion will now go to the next council’s executive meeting. The council also needs to decide if it must undertake a feasibility assessment.