Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to protect consumers from being charged additional fees for withdrawing cash from ATMs.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act (2023) the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has responsibility and powers to protect access to cash withdrawal and deposit facilities, including free facilities for personal current account holders. The FCA’s most recent data shows that 99.2% of the urban population live within 1 miles of a free to use cash access point offering withdrawals. In rural areas, 98.5% of people live within 3 miles of a free to use cash access point offering withdrawals

LINK, the UK’s not-for-profit, independently governed ATM operator, publish data on the number of ATMs nationally and across each parliamentary constituency. This includes a breakdown of the number of pay-to-use ATMs operated by the LINK network. LINK data estimates that in 2025, there were 42,403 ATMs in the UK, including 8,693 pay-to-use ATMs. This data can be found at https://www.link.co.uk/data-research/the-atm-network

Customers can also access everyday cash and banking services at Post Office branches. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers of participating banks to withdraw and deposit cash; for personal customers this service is free. Customers are also able to check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at over 10,000 Post Office branches across the UK.