At least four High Street banks will offer face-to-face banking in Cottingham near Hull through the opening of the UK’s fourth banking hub.
NatWest, Lloyds, Santander, and Barclays have each committed to set up shop on one day a week in the town\s former Lloyds Bank branch in Hallgate.
Cottingham was earmarked for a banking hub when it was announced earlier this year that Lloyds, the last bank in the village, was to close in September 2022.
Banking hubs are a new concept being rolled out across the UK following successful pilots in Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire and Rochford in Essex. Cottingham will be only the fourth branch to open in the UK after the opening of a hub in Brixham in Devon earlier in November.
The new hub is a face-to-face facility that will allow customers to access their account, deposit cash and cheques, pay bills and make withdrawals.
A counter service will be operated by staff from the Post Office, whilst selected banks will also provide community banking advisors, initially from five banks, on rotation to offer specialist advice and handle more complex enquiries on a drop in or appointment basis.
The schedule for community bankers shown below is based on local market share to reflect the needs of customers within the hub catchment area:
- Monday – NatWest
- Tuesday – to be confirmed
- Wednesday – Lloyds
- Thursday – Santander
- Friday – Barclays
Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for economic investment, growth and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “I am delighted to see Cottingham’s banking hub open and finally offer much needed banking services to the village again. It is set to be only the fourth banking hub in the UK and we are incredibly please with how quickly we have managed to implement this hub.
“This is a real boost for Cottingham and I would also encourage residents to come down to the hub to find out more about the services on offer.”
Gareth Oakley, who leads the Banking Hub project, added: “I am thrilled to announce the opening of the Cottingham Banking Hub. Banking Hubs have the ability to transform communities wherever they open. I’ve been struck by how much of an impact the Hubs have already had on people, from small businesses who tell me they are now able to sort out their banking cash needs in minutes rather than hours, to older or more vulnerable people who find internet and phone banking challenging. We are looking forward to welcoming the people of Cottingham to the Banking Hub”.
Hornsea has also been shortlisted following a request for a review which was submitted by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in the summer with a search for suitable locations already under way.
