Powys Conservatives Oppose an Amendment to Protect Access to Cash in Rural Areas

Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones has opposed an amendment (New Clause 7) to the Financial Services and Markets Bill currently going through parliament that would have protected access to cash in rural areas. The amendment proposed by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh and supported by the Liberal Democrats and other parties would have made it so that:

“The Treasury must, by regulations, make provision to guarantee a minimum level of access to free of charge cash access services for consumers across the United Kingdom.”

The vote was lost with 269 Conservatives voting against, including Powys’ other Conservative MP Craig Williams, despite Montgomeryshire also having lost numerous banks over the last few years.

This is despite the fact that five Conservative MPs did break the whip in order to back the amendment.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated that the move is yet the latest in a long run of incidents that show that the Conservative Party and its MPs in Powys take rural communities for granted.

Commenting Liberal Democrat Candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire David Chadwick said:

“With HSBC closing in my own local town of Brecon I understand all too well the pressures are communities are under when it comes to access to banking and cash.

“Powys has lost an extortionate amount of banks over the last few years, legislating to keep free cash withdrawal services in rural communities seems like the bare minimum that should be done.

“However, it seems neither Fay Jones nor Craig Williams can even bring themselves to support an amendment that would have done just that.

“Banks are making massive profits, HSBC made more than £2.8bn in the last quarter, they can afford to ensure their customers in rural areas are served well and the Government should be legislating to make that common practice.

"It is clear that in Powys the Liberal Democrats are the only party willing to make a stand to protect our rural communities."