GOVERNMENT RIGHT TO RETHINK FACE-TO-FACE BANKING, SAY CAMPAIGNERS

LONDON, 14 MAY 2026 – Later Life Ambitions (LLA) has welcomed the Government’s decision to review access to face-to-face banking services. The group has long warned that bank branch closures and the rapid shift to digital services are leaving too many older people without practical access to essential financial support.

The review, commissioned by HM Treasury, will examine the impact of branch closures and whether further action is needed to protect access to in-person banking. LLA says the review must focus on older people and others who are digitally excluded, reliant on cash, living with mobility issues, or unable to travel long distances to reach banking services – and must not treat the growth of digital banking as justification for further branch closures.

Alan Lees, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Retired Police Officers and a spokesperson for Later Life Ambitions, said: “Older people should not be forced out of managing their own money because banks have decided that everything can move online.

“Face-to-face banking is part of the essential infrastructure that allows people to live independently in later life. It means being able to pay bills, access cash, resolve problems, protect yourself from fraud and speak to someone when something goes wrong.

“For many, losing a local bank branch is not a simple inconvenience. It means extra travel costs, reliance on family or neighbours, or greater exposure to scams, or being pushed towards digital services they can’t use or do not trust.

“The Government is right to reconsider the issue. But this review must not stop at describing the problem. If communities are losing access to basic banking services, ministers need to be prepared to set clear duties on banks and ensure older people are not treated as an afterthought.”