Cumbria: Banking hub opens in town after branch closures

The new banking hub on Senhouse Street in Maryport

A banking hub has opened in a Cumbrian town following the closure of its last bank branch.

Cash Access UK has opened the hub in Maryport at the site of the former NatWest branch on Senhouse Street.

The hub will allow residents to access services from five different banks and building societies from one location.

Local banking services have left Maryport in recent years, with only Cumberland Building Society now operating a dedicated branch.

Leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer said: "This is going to be a fantastic addition to Maryport's high street.

"Not only will it provide a vital service for local people and visitors alike - it will also bring a lovely shop back to life."

Community bankers

The hub is located at 115/117 Senhouse Street and will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office.

Customers of all major banks and building societies will be able to carry out cash transactions at the counter.

For more complicated queries, a community banker service will run Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm, allowing customers to speak to staff from their bank.

The community bankers will work on rotation with each bank or building society operating from the hub one day per week.

The rota for the community bankers will be:

• Monday: NatWest

• Tuesday: HSBC

• Wednesday: Halifax

• Thursday: TSB

• Friday: Barclays

Banking hubs are opening across the country to allow people to access services after a wave of branch closures by high street banks.

A similar hub is already open in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Work is currently under way to regenerate Maryport, including a £3m project to transform a former bank and cinema into a cultural hub.

The banking hub's site was recently renovated as part of the council's shop front scheme, which was funded by Historic England's Heritage Action Zone programme.