Local MP Alan Mak has welcomed the announcement of the location for a new temporary Banking Hub in Havant.
Cash Access UK, a not-for-profit company funded by the major banks, is to open the Hub at 39 Market Parade next month.
After several years of campaigning by Mr Mak with the support of residents, a review by Link - which works to ensure people have access to cash - recommended Havant for a Banking Hub.
Now a suitable building has been found and people in Havant will have access to a range of services from all the major banks.
Mr Mak's work included meeting the Chief Executive of Cash Access UK and the Treasury Minister responsible for Banking Hubs to press Havant's case for a Hub.
The new shared Banking Hub will provide a counter service for deposits, withdrawals and paying utility bills.
Plus there will be a community banker service where customers can speak face-to-face with their own bank about more complex matters on the day their bank is in the Hub.
Mr Mak said: "I'm delighted that a location has been secured for a temporary Banking Hub in Havant.
"Access to in-person banking services and cash is vital for people who find online banking or digital technology daunting and that's why I've been campaigning for a Banking Hub.
"I'd like to thank Cash Access UK for working with me on a temporary Hub and I look forward to us working together to find a location for a permanent Hub."
Mr Mak has been working hard to ensure residents in Havant could continue to access in-person banking services when bank branches closed.
When Barclays closed its East Street branch in 2022, Mr Mak managed to get the company to maintain a physical presence in the library at the Meridian Centre. After the Halifax and Lloyds in the town both shut, it left just Nationwide with a Havant branch.
Mr Mak has also spoken in Parliament to propose a new law to expand Britain’s network of Banking Hubs so that customers across the country have more access to face-to-face banking services.
His In-Person Banking Services Bill would help areas such as Emsworth and Hayling Island, where there are no physical bank branches left, to get their own Banking Hubs.
Under current rules, communities are often deemed to have sufficient banking provision if there is access to cash, for example if there’s a Post Office or cash machine within one kilometre of the local high street.
His aim is to ensure every town or village with a population over 10,000 is eligible for face-to-face banking services via a Banking Hub.
