Success: Harborne Banking Hub secured
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
Since 2021, I have been campaigning to improve in-person banking services in our community. After many discussions with Cash Access I have secured a new Banking Hub in Harborne - set to open summer 2026.
CAMPAIGN TIMELINE
May 2021
Santander branch closure - survey to constituents
After Santander announced they were planning to close the Harborne Banking branch. I campaigned for them to reconsider the impact it would have on local residents.
I wrote to constituents to complete my survey, asking them to share their thoughts on the bank’s closure. 123 responded to my survey with 69% sharing they were concerned by the closure of the branch and almost 90% stating they visited the bank branches on High Street on a regular basis. This demonstrated how important it was we have accessible banking services on our High Street.
May 2021
Letter to Director of Santander Branch
I wrote to Santander, asking them to re-consider the closure.
June 2021
Campaigning outside Santander
I joined local campaigners outside the local Santander branch in 2021.
June 2021
Engagement with locals about the use of in-person banking services
I spoke with Harborne residents in June 2021 about the closure of the Local Santander Branch. My survey showed 44% of residents only used in-person banking, this highlighted how the significant impact the closure would have on residents.
July 2021
Featured in Birmingham Live
Campaign outside Santander Harborne
The story was reported by Birmingham Live emphasising the 'shock' of the closure and its negative impact on the Harborne community.
Read full article here: Protesters rally at Santander Harborne over 'shock' closure announcement - Birmingham Live
July 2021
Campaign outside NatWest branch
I joined campaigners outside NatWest after the announcement of the second 'shock' closure of a bank branch on Harborne High Street.
Read full article here: Harborne NatWest announces 'shock closure' as protesters set for second rally - Birmingham Live
August 2021
Working with community
I campaigned outside NatWest with local campaigners to emphasise the importance of keeping banks on Harborne High street.
October 2021
Speaking up in Parliament
As part of my campaigning to protect in-person bank services, I attended a debate in Parliament on access to cash in the UK. With more than 5 million people reliant on cash at the time, it was vital to represent my cash-dependent residents, including elderly and vulnerable residents.
September 2022
Letter to Lloyds Banking group on closure at Birmingham University
After hearing of an additional bank closure at Birmingham University, I wrote to the Regional Manager.
October 2022
Written question to the Treasury on reducing number of bank branch closures
In October 2022, I tabled an question to the treasury with concerns about the loss of in-person banking services.
Full response from Treasury:
July 2025
Written question to the Treasury on roll out of Banking hubs in Birmingham Edgbaston
I wrote to the Chancellor of this Government about what progress is being made with the banking industry on the roll out of banking hubs in Birmingham Edgbaston.
May 2026
I have secured new banking hub in Harborne!
After over five years of campaigning to improve the in-person banking provisions in our community, I was pleased Cash Access confirmed a new banking hub would be set up on 93a High Street, Harborne.
Once open, the Banking hub will offer an array of in-person banking services, with all major banks being present with allotted days to speak directly with customers. Its services will include:
pay in cash (notes and coins) and cheques
withdraw cash (notes and coins)
check your balance
pay utility bills
top up your gas and electricity
For more information about Cash Access and banking hubs visit: Cash Access UK - Home
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Haha, spot on with the report! I actually meant to send my colleague that environmental paper, but my clipboard decided to play tricks and dropped this link from a performance test I ran on my laptop earlier instead. Anyway, I’ve had a bit of a look since, and it seems like a solid platform – clean layout, decent selection, and runs smoothly on both desktop and mobile, which is a rare combo for some UK sites I’ve tried before. If you're after a straightforward experience without the usual clutter, Kaasino might be worth a browse. But yeah, that's the random link—ignore it if you're just here for the policy talk! 😄
This is absolutely fantastic news for our local high street because the recent wave of bank branch closures has made it incredibly difficult for elderly residents and small business owners to manage their daily financial needs in person. Having a dedicated banking hub right here in Harborne will restore a vital sense of community security and ensure that vulnerable people are not left behind by the rapid shift towards purely digital banking systems. I was actually looking up the new hub opening hours and checking some Birmingham community development updates on my phone earlier when I opened a link to goldenbet by mistake but this local constituency news was exactly what I wanted to see.