Haggerston Ward is a strange cash machine desert. Given the number of people who live and work in the ward it is surprising to find only three sites with free cash dispensers:
Texaco Garage on Shoreditch High Street
Hackney Community College on Falkirk Street
and from last week, Tesco on Kingsland Road.
Until Tesco opened the entire north and east of the ward had to make do with fee charging machines in shops charging anything up to £2.50 for a withdrawal. But still some of the poorest people in Hackney are being made to pay to access money.
This is a nationwide problem - of the 58,000 cash machines in the UK, 40% charge a fee.
Haggerston Councillors are now aiming to take advantage of an offer by RBS Bank to provide free cash dispensers in areas of need. The locations need to be accessible to large numbers of people and they need to be in locations where people will feel safe withdrawing money. Many resident sdon't feel safe taking money out from the Community College machines, especially after dark.
We're seeking views from local people as to where they would like to see a free cash machine in the ward.
Hopefully Haggerston ppeoplewill soon be able to get their hands on their money without having to pay outrageous fees to private cash operators.
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