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Novelty schemes like this, whilst nice for the 40 or 50 UK sites that may qualify, do nothing to solve the issue of the loss of thousands of free-to-use ATMs throughout the UK. More ATMs are being lost every day. The figures show that the remaining ATMs in the UK are as busy as they have ever been in terms of the amount of cash withdrawn by the public. There is no justification for a single additional ATM to be removed. In reality, every community with 1000 adults needs at least one local, convenient to access, free-to-use ATM. This means that the UK needs between 55000 and 60000 free ATMs, yet there are now under 48000. To get back to the required number of ATMs, LINK needs to return to a transparent funding scheme for ALL remaining ATMs, rather than focusing on 40 or 50 sites of special interest. It is the 45 million plus adults in the UK who continue to want to use cash who deserve LINKs full attention.

The really SERIOUS point is that vested interest are trying to rob the UK Public of Payment Choice. This flawed survey does NOT tell us what the Public WANT. The 59% who are supposedly predicting a “cashless” society by 2030 are NOT saying they WANT that to happen. They are simply saying they believe it may well happen. What’s interesting is that even with the $ Billions anti-cash vested interests are spending to convince the Public that “cashless” is coming, 41% of those surveyed do NOT believe it! Anyway, the anti-cash mob will NEVER win. Cash will remain on the UK Publics Payment Choice menu FOREVER!

We need to stop talking about cash as if it is a minority interest. The case for cash is NOT about a few million people - less than 5% of the population - who only use this payment method. The real issue is that everyone in the UK has the right to Payment Choice, a right to decide for themselves which payment method meets their personal requirements. An attempt is being made to force cash off the Payment Choice menu available to the British public. It must NOT be allowed to succeed. The government needs to act, since their appointed regulators can’t even talk a good game, let alone take decisive action. Government intervention is needed as follows, with urgent legislation as necessary to force outcomes: * LINK must return to a cost-based ATM interchange. Arbitrary cuts which render ATM services uneconomic to provide are UNACCEPTABLE. * LINK must have a statutory obligation to guarantee free access to ATM cash in every community. Let’s stop the pretence there are better ways to deliver cash; there are NOT. * oblige businesses to accept cash payments for in-person transactions. There you have it. Three steps needed to ensure that the UK public - ALL of us - can continue to have cash as a Payment Choice. The time for committees, reports and debate is over! Action is required NOW, in 2019!