Bank Branch Closures and Banking Hubs Explained

Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.

When a bank announces that a branch is closing, an independent body called LINK reviews what cash and banking services the community still needs. Where the gap is large enough it recommends a banking hub: a shared high-street counter, run with the Post Office, that customers of any major bank can use.

What happens when your branch closes

Banks do not need permission to close a branch, but they must follow guidance from the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In practice:

You should be told at least 12 weeks before the closing date, usually by letter and by notices in the branch.
The bank should explain how you can carry on banking, including the nearest branch, the nearest Post Office and its telephone service.
Your account, sort code, account number, card and Direct Debits all carry on exactly as before. Nothing needs to be moved.

LINK's role

LINK is the organisation that runs the UK's main cash machine network. It has also been given an official job as the body that co-ordinates access to cash. Each time a bank or building society announces the closure of a branch, LINK carries out an independent assessment of the community, looking at matters such as:

how many people and businesses the place serves
what cash services remain: other branches, Post Offices, free cash machines
how far away the nearest alternative is and what the public transport is like
how many older or vulnerable residents live there and how much the area relies on cash

LINK then recommends what is needed. That may be nothing new, an extra free cash machine, an improved Post Office service or a full banking hub.

Asking for a review yourself

You do not have to wait for a closure. Any individual, councillor, MP or community group can ask LINK to review the access to cash in their area, using the request form on the LINK website or by post. Requests from residents have led to new hubs and cash machines being recommended.

What is a banking hub?

A banking hub looks much like a small bank branch on the high street, but it is shared. It has two parts:

	The counter	The community banker
Who runs it	Post Office staff	A member of staff from one of the banks
When	Every weekday, typically during normal working hours	Each bank on its own set day, on a rota
Who can use it	Customers of almost any bank	Customers of the bank attending that day
What for	Taking out and paying in cash, paying in cheques, checking a balance, paying utility bills	Anything more involved: account queries, payments, fraud concerns, help with registering for services

The banks that send a community banker are usually the ones with the most customers in that town, so not every bank is represented at every hub. Check the rota for your hub before you travel. The counter service is open to you whichever bank you are with.

Tip: take your bank card, and know your PIN, for counter transactions. For a visit to the community banker, take your card and some identification, such as a passport, driving licence or bus pass, plus any letters about the matter you want to discuss.

Cash Access UK

Cash Access UK is the not-for-profit company that builds and owns the hubs. It was set up and is paid for by a group of the UK's largest banks. Once LINK recommends a hub, Cash Access UK finds premises, fits them out and arranges for the Post Office to run the counter.

That takes time. Finding a suitable building can take many months, so Cash Access UK often opens a temporary hub in a library, community centre or similar building while the permanent one is prepared. Well over 200 hubs have been recommended across the UK, and the number open grows month by month. To see whether one is open or planned near you, look at the hub finder on the Cash Access UK website, or ask at your Post Office or library.

The law behind it

Since 18 September 2024, FCA rules made under an Act of Parliament require the large banks and building societies named by the Treasury to assess and fill significant gaps in local access to cash. They must look at what a community needs when a branch or cash machine is due to close and when residents ask for a review, and they must not close the facility until any extra service that has been judged necessary is in place.

Watch out: the rules protect access to cash, meaning taking it out and paying it in. They do not give you a right to a full branch of your own bank, and a hub will not always be the outcome.

If there is no hub near you

Use the Post Office counter for cash and cheques. See Post Office everyday banking.
Ask your bank about mobile branches or a visiting community banker in a library or hall.
Set up telephone banking. See banking without the internet.
Ask about free transport. A free bus pass, community transport or a taxi card may get you to the next town.
If you are curious about doing more from home, read online banking for beginners.

Common questions

Do I have to change bank to use a banking hub?

No. The counter serves customers of almost all banks. You only need to be with a particular bank to see that bank's community banker.

Can a community campaign stop a branch closing?

Rarely. Closure is a commercial decision for the bank. What a community can influence is what replaces it, by responding to LINK's assessment or asking for a review. Your MP and local councillors can add their voice.

Who do I complain to?

About your own bank's service, complain to the bank and then, if need be, to the Financial Ombudsman Service. About cash access in your area, contact LINK. Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper can explain your options.