Town’s only bank closes – but no opening date of banking hub confirmed

Risca is set to be without a bank as its Barclays branch closes today (Friday May 17).

The closure of the bank on Tredegar Street was announced by Barclays in May 2023 due to a lack of in-person customers, with Barclays stating 86% of its users in Risca also accessed services online.

Following the announcement, LINK, the organisation which operates the UK’s cash machine network, said it will open a banking hub in Risca for customers to access face-to-face banking services.

Cash Access UK, which will actually deliver the hub, told Caerphilly Observer it has found a “suitable location”, and hopes to confirm where soon.

The hub will open weekdays between 9am and 5pm, and will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks can carry out regular cash transactions whenever the hub is open. 

It will also offer a ‘community banker service’ where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues on the day their bank is in the hub.

The days each bank will use the hub are:

• Monday: Barclays
• Tuesday: NatWest
• Wednesday: Halifax (morning), Santander (afternoon)
• Thursday: Lloyds
• Friday: HSBC

Although no opening date has been set, Barclays has said it will be operating out of Risca Library every Monday until the hub is launched.