Graham has published the findings of his local banking services survey after residents and businesses in Hedon, Withernsea and surrounding villages shared their experience of using replacement banking services.
The survey shows strong support for local banking hubs, with many residents valuing the service provided by Cash Access UK, the Post Office and banking hub staff.
But it also shows that too many people are still struggling to carry out basic banking tasks, especially when it comes to cheques, business banking and face-to-face support.
Of 125 people who responded to Graham’s survey, 81 said they had used either the Banking Hub in Withernsea or the Cash Hub in Hedon. That means around two-thirds of respondents have used the new services.
However, around one in five respondents said they had been unable to withdraw cash locally, and around one in five said they had been unable to deposit a cheque locally. Lloyds was the most commonly named bank among respondents.
The findings come after Lloyds withdrew cheque deposit services through the Post Office network from 31 December 2025. Other major banks, including Barclays, HSBC, NatWest and Santander, still provide cheque deposit services through Post Office branches.
Cheques are declining, but they are still used by millions of people. Pay.UK research found that 44% of current account holders still use cheques, even if only occasionally. Separate evidence to Parliament from Age UK found that around half of people aged 65 and over used cheques sometimes or often.
The latest Pay.UK figures show that cheque use remains significant. In Q4 2025, the Image Clearing System processed 19.6 million cheque images, worth £26.8 billion.
Residents told Graham that the problem is not the hubs themselves. Many value them. The issue is that the hubs must be allowed to provide the services people still need.
One disabled resident said he and his wife have tremors and cannot hold a cheque still enough to deposit it using a phone app. Another respondent said a village hall account with more than £10,000 had been left in difficulty after Lloyds closed the account. A business respondent said they had to travel to Hull after being unable to access the cash they needed locally.
Graham said: “Banking hubs are great. People value them, and in towns like Hedon and Withernsea they are helping to keep local banking alive.
“Cash Access UK is doing its job. The Post Office is doing its job. Banking hub staff are doing their job. Other banks are continuing to provide cheque deposit services through the Post Office network.
“But Lloyds needs to get its act together.
“Cheques are declining, but they have not disappeared. Older residents, disabled people, small businesses, charities and community groups still use them. They are often the very people who need banking hubs most.
“Lloyds closed the last bank in Hedon and Withernsea. Local people were told replacement services would be there for them. Lloyds should not now pull the rug out from under the customers who need those services most.
“I will be taking these findings to Lloyds and making the case for residents who still need proper local banking services.”
