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Town's new banking hub meets with approval

Matt Weigold
BBC Radio Stoke
Tanya Gupta
BBC News, West Midlands
Listen on BBC Sounds: Banking hub operator Vik Puri said banks still have an importance in people’s lives

A new banking hub has been welcomed by queues of customers on its official opening day.

Stone is the third location in Staffordshire to have its own banking hub and the 178th in the country.

The former Betfred site now offers face-to-face staffing to customers of NatWest, Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC and Santander.

“I think it’s absolutely brilliant,” beamed Barclays customer Elizabeth Evans.

“We haven’t had a branch in Stone for quite a long time now, so we usually have to go to Stafford.

"This is just so nice in the high street, wonderful. I was given a seat because there was a queue to see the Barclays representative and even offered water and it was wonderful."

A woman with short grey hair stands outside a banking hub. She is wearing an orange dress with a brown flowered pattern. She holds a tote bag which has a printed logo reading Cash Access UK.
Julie Johnson said Stone residents had feared there would be nowhere in the town to bank

The last branch of a high street bank in Stone closed in 2024.

The canal town has had a temporary banking facility at the Frank Jordan Centre for the past twelve months but numerous customers said they were delighted with the new location.

Julie Johnson was there to bank money collected by the Parent Teacher Association at a local school.

“We thought we had nothing and now we’ve got somewhere where we can do everything,” she said.

“People want to see face-to-face interactions and still people want to see bankers from the different banks,” said banking hub operator Vik Puri.

He said it took a year to get the hub ready to open.

Banks were still important in people's lives, Mr Puri added, saying "specifically vulnerable people, those who can't drive, those who don't want to go to another town".

“The community is really loving us here, we‘ve had a good response."

Four women and one man stand in the doorway of a cafe. Outside, people are sat at outdoor tables. The sign above the face reads The Artisan Boutique.
Artisan Boutique, across the street from the hub, was previously the location of a high street bank

Local businesses hoped the new facility would also increase the footfall into the town.

Marg Walker, from the Artisan Boutique across the road from the new hub, described it as amazing.

“It should bring people into the town and be good for all businesses,” she said.

The banking hub, owned by not-for-profit company Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office, is open from 09:00 to 17:00 on weekdays.

The hub can be used to pay in and withdraw cash/cheques on any week day, but customers can only book appointments with their respective bank consultants on their allocated day.

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