Hopes for new banking hub shelved after appeal

Hubs are shared spaces where customers from all the major banks can access services

Leatherhead will not be getting a banking hub in the town after a decision by the company that provides them was upheld, Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) says.

An independent assessor upheld the decision of LINK, which works to give the public access to the cash machine network, saying that findings were "carried out fairly and properly".

Hubs are shared spaces where customers from all the major banks can access services such as withdrawing or paying in cash and paying bills.

Dr Chris Ashton, chief commercial officer at LINK, said: "In Leatherhead, we have engaged with the local council and been through a detailed process to understand local cash access needs, including visits to the town."

A spokesperson for MVDC said the district should get a second banking hub to support the one in Dorking.

MVDC appealed against LINK's original decision, made in late 2024, citing inaccuracies in the data used specifically around underestimating both Leatherhead's population and the number of cash-handling retailers.

LINK has recommended that an automated deposit service be installed in the town.

'Very disappointing'

Councillor Paula Keay, MVDC's cabinet member for sustainable economy, said: "The criteria used by LINK to assess locations for banking hubs is very strict.

"The decision reached by the Independent Assessor is difficult to accept and very disappointing.

"We know that residents and businesses in the north of the district want a banking hub, and we have explored every avenue available to us in terms of appealing LINK's decision."

Dr Ashton added: "While we recognise it may be disappointing, we are satisfied that the community continues have good access to cash through the Post Office, the branch of Nationwide and the free-to-use cash machine network."