South Essex is one of a number of areas in the UK selected for a trial which could offer hope for the future of high street banking.

Rochford is one of the areas which will see a collaboration between the Post Office and high street banks launched in an effort to offer communities better access to cash.

It comes amid a swathe of ATM and bank branch closures in recent years – something which has increased due to the pandemic.

The locations involved in the Community Access to Cash Pilots (CACP) schemes are Botton Village (North Yorkshire), Burslem (Staffordshire), Lulworth Camp (Dorset), and Rochford.

Each community is trialling different initiatives.

In Rochford, a new Post Office “bank hub” has been set up, with dedicated rooms where customers can see staff from their own bank.

The hubs will offer access to basic banking and cash withdrawals and deposits through a counter operated by the Post Office.

They will also provide access to face-to-face banking services, provided by those banks which have the most customers in each area.

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As well as bank hubs, other initiatives being trialled include widespread cashback from local stores, restaurants and pubs, new free-to-use ATMs and digital education services.

Coronavirus lockdown restrictions have led to delays on certain elements of the pilots going live and as many stores have been closed, those behind the scheme said.

Recent research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that, during the pandemic, 15% of UK adults have struggled to cope without access to bank branches and ATMs, while 16% suffered as more businesses stopped or encouraged customers to use contactless or digital payments.

FCA research suggests that five million people remain dependent on cash.

The pilots are trialling solutions which could be rolled out more widely across the UK. They will run until October 2021 and then will report back their findings.

The CACP scheme is chaired by Natalie Ceeney, who led the Access to Cash Review.

She said: “Many more people are shopping online and using digital or contactless payments now, even for items that they would have paid for with cash before the pandemic.

“However, cash remains critically important, not only as a back-up when payment systems go down, but for millions of people who can’t use digital payments, don’t have reliable broadband or mobile coverage, or simply cannot afford or don’t have access to wider banking services that many of us take for granted.

“I’m delighted that the pilots are up and running, and am keen to see what local communities think of the new services.”

Nick Read, chief executive of the Post Office, said: “Bank hubs are an exciting expansion of our role in safeguarding a sustainable future for cash, as well as providing wider financial services in partnership with the banks.”