UK’s 250th banking hub opens in Chepstow
The government has committed to opening at least 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament, the Treasury said.
The UK’s 250th banking hub has opened in Chepstow, ahead of the closure of the town’s last remaining bank branch in October 2026.
Without it, residents would have had to travel eight miles to Lydney for the nearest branch, a journey the Treasury said could take about 30 minutes by public transport and cost £4.
The hub lets people deposit and withdraw cash, pay in cheques and speak to community bankers, and has a free-to-use cash machine outside that is available 24 hours a day.
The Treasury said thousands of residents and more than 100 businesses in the town would retain access to cash and face-to-face banking.
The government has committed to delivering at least 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament.
Others have already opened in towns across Wales, including Holyhead, Prestatyn and Porthcawl.
The hubs are owned by Cash Access UK, a not-for-profit organisation, and offer cash counter services where traditional bank branches have closed, with community bankers from different high street banks visiting in rotation.
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Lucy Rigby, said: “We’re well on our way to opening 350 hubs across the UK.”
Rigby said opening 350 hubs was “a manifesto commitment and a key part of our Financial Inclusion Strategy”, and would give people and businesses across the country “the access to cash and face-to-face banking services they deserve”.
The Secretary of State for Wales, Stephen Kinnock, said people and businesses across Wales wanted banking services “available in their local communities”.
Kinnock said the government was “determined to make local services work better for people”, and spoke of being “delighted for the people of Chepstow”.
Gareth Oakley, chief executive of Cash Access UK, said the organisation had opened “a new hub every week” this year, and was “proud to be bringing this service to Chepstow”.
Natalie Ceeney, chair of Cash Access UK, said the 250 hubs existed because millions of people and small businesses across the UK needed somewhere to bank in person.
Ceeney added that the hubs let people “walk in, deposit their takings, withdraw cash, or sit down with someone face to face about their banking”.
More than eight million transactions have been supported across all banking hubs and deposit services since the start of 2026.
Face-to-face banking and access to cash were “still vital for those that need it”.
The hub’s opening follows an independent review into access to banking services, commissioned by the government in May 2026.
The review is examining the impact of changes in access to in-person banking services, and whether this is causing detriment to consumers, communities and businesses. It will make recommendations to the government in October 2026.
