"Banking facilities vital to sustainable communities"

3.25.14pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 14th Feb 2007

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, Kirsty Williams, has called on the Government to do more to help safeguard banking facilities in rural areas.

The local AM has signed a Statement of Opinion at the National Assembly for Wales to raise awareness of the problems facing many rural communities.

Kirsty at the installation of free-to-use cash machines at Llanbister Post Office with Postmistress Pat Allen

Ms Williams said: "Given the lack of public transport in many of our communities, it is especially important that vital services such as banking are available as close to home as possible. The Government should be looking at how banking facilities can be provided in our smaller communities, for example by encouraging joint-working between Post Offices and banks, but has so far failed to do so. The recent installation of free-to-use cash machines in some of our local Post Offices has shown the way forward, but more must be done to ensure that those living in rural areas do have adequate access to banking services."

Notes:

Statements of Opinion are a mechanism for Assembly Members to draw attention to issues of concern, or to highlight achievements, by putting their views on a subject on the record and then encouraging other Members to add their name to the Statement. The full text of the Statement reads: "This Assembly regrets the closures of branches of banks across Wales, which have negatively impacted upon the communities in rural and deprived areas. This Assembly regrets the failure of successive UK governments to encourage joint-working between Post Offices and banks, to offer customers in Wales banking services within their communities. This Assembly calls upon the British Banking Association as the industry's principal body in the UK not to abandon the Welsh communities who are being severely affected by the loss of their local banking services."