Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of bank branches that have closed in (a) the Cynon Valley constituency and (b) Rhondday Cynon Taff local authority, in each year since 2010.

The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.

Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.

Regarding the ATM network specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.

LINK publishes the total number of free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs across the UK on a regular basis. Further information is available on LINK’s website: https://www.link.co.uk/

Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. New shared banking hubs are also being introduced, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.