ITV News reports that Barclays bank has pledged not to close bank branches in remote areas, or where the bank is the last in the area for two years. Barclays said the freeze on closure will protect more than 100 branches until October 2021.

The bank is also launching a cashback scheme enabling people to withdraw money at small businesses. The scheme will mean that rural residents can withdraw money in remote towns without a bank or ATM machine within 1km.

It will launch from January 2020 in more than 200 locations around the country. Separately, Barclays is trialling flexible opening hours and the use of video-conference technology at 12 sites to make branches viable in the long term.

Similarly, an article in the i paper highlights research showing that one in eight rural communities have to travel at least one kilometre to access a free to use cash machine.

Consumer group Which? found that residents in 153 postcodes in rural areas have to travel up to 30 minutes on public transport to access cash.

Figures from the ATM network Link also demonstrated that 194 protected cash machines had closed between January 2018 and July 2019.

Full articles:

ITV News - Barclays halts ‘last in town’ and remote branch closures for two years

i paper - One in eight rural communities 'have to travel more than 1km for free cash points', research finds