North-east MP Andrew Bowie urges Chancellor to put free access to cash law on table
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Conservative MP Andrew Bowie has urged the Chancellor to legally enshrine free access to cash in rural areas, after more than a fifth of ATMs vanished in his Aberdeenshire constituency.
A change in the law was first raised in the March 2020 Budget, however this has been delayed by Covid-19.
The West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP has urged the Chancellor to push this to the top of the agenda at the State Opening of Parliament on May 10.
Mr Bowie said: “I completely accept that since the Spring Budget in 2020 many other important issues have come to the fore, the pandemic being the most obvious.
“But the pandemic put an already fragile cash network under additional strain, whilst also proving the importance of localised access to cash in rural areas.”
According to LINK, the MP’s constituency saw 22 per cent of its free-to-use ATMs vanish between August 2018 and December 2021.
Since first being elected in 2017 Mr Bowie has campaigned for better access to cash and against branch closures in towns and villages across his constituency including Banchory, Westhill and Alford.
With the Queen’s Speech on the horizon, the MP has been contacted by hundreds of constituents calling for the legislation to be introduced as part of the Government’s next programme, in line with the intention in 2020.
Following meetings and correspondence with TSB, Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale and most recently Virgin, he has now taken matters a step further by writing to the Chancellor, following a meeting they had in early March.
In the letter, Mr Bowie, whose constituency is one of the largest rural constituencies in the country advises: “Cash is still a crucial part of life, it helps many elderly and vulnerable people budget effectively and having access to it is vital, especially in rural communities.
“The current cost of living crisis and in particular the high cost of fuel prove that access to cash in rural communities is more important than ever.
“There is no better time to implement this legislation, it was on the agenda two years ago and whilst I understand the delay due to other priorities, such as the pandemic, failure to help communities protect their access to cash could leave vulnerable people at crisis point and potentially impact negatively on local high streets.
“I was fully behind these proposals when they were brought forward in 2020 and would urge you to consider putting them back on the table as part of our programme next month.”
