Following the closure of Lloyds and Halifax branches in January, the new, temporary, Banking Hub is due to open in Market Parade sometime this week, current outlook Friday. There was a representative from the organisation which sets up and manages Banking Hubs at a table in the Meridian Centre last Friday lunchtime (10 July), though this event didn’t seem to be very well publicised.
We wonder if the now-closed banks are going to let their own customers know that this facility will be available to them and on which day?
Since there is no cashpoint machine at the temporary hub, we are puzzled why the hub hasn’t been opened inside the Meridian Centre. When there is a permanent location there will be a cashpoint, however that will still be outside, not inside. The thought being that this gives access to cash 24/7, and not just when the hub is open, however it’s not so good from the safety/security view. For many, there are too many distractions to use a cashpoint in the street safely, and also less risk that the machine itself has been compromised.
The hub is to be ‘accessible’, however there is still the problem for some, of getting to the door.
The cashier banking service at the hub is provided by the Post Office – exactly the same services as those offered in the existing Post Office opposite. However, the new hub will also have representatives from different banks on different days. At the moment it looks like Lloyds and Halifax customers, the last two banks to close in Havant, would have the choice of two days; Monday and Thursday, with Barclay’s customers served on Wednesday and NatWest on Friday.
On your own bank’s days, or so we were told, you will be able to get balances for all your accounts, be able to move funds between accounts, set up and amend payments and get other help and advice with the support of a community bank representative in a little ‘cupboard office’ inside the hub. The cashier services, using a banking card. appear identical to those offered at the Post Office opposite.
The representative at the Meridian was unable to answer questions about the processing of counter payments but I have checked for you. Just like the ‘other’ Post Office, paper transactions are not processed online, there and then – they are packaged up and sent on for processing, which adds potential delay and further risk to your payments. I pay utility bills using counterfoils with a cheque, and it is important that there are no delays built into the payment handling. The paper bill that I am paying has already taken a while to arrive and is often already very close to, or sometimes beyond, the due date. (One less mobile person who I help has had their outgoing phone service blocked due to not making payments quickly enough, even though she is classified as being a vulnerable customer with a record of regular payment. In these situations, it looks like I will still need to go to a ‘proper’ bank, so that’s Cosham or Chichester.
While it is great that the Havant area is to be served by a Banking Hub, we are very concerned about the location of the temporary Hub; it is directly opposite the Post Office. The new site is confusing, looking more like a Post Office than the one opposite. Both provide the same counter service for banking, yet the Banking Hub – which is the shopfront which looks most like a Post Office – will not sell you stamps, deal with parcels or renew your car tax.
It is likely that the temporary hub will be open for up to a year. This overlaps with the expected ten month closure of the railway footbridge for demolition and replacement. While that is happening, the only pedestrian routes into the town from the north will be via the New Lane level crossing or Park Road North, so not good for Market Parade footfall.
The representative in the Meridian did explain the difficulty in finding a suitable location – it had to be within a given postcode and of a suitable size. Most of the now closed banking branches are too big as the office spaces are not needed.
Their search goes on for the permanent site for Havant’s Banking Hub. When we hear, we’ll share the news.