The opening of Wales’ second banking hub in Welshpool has prompted calls for one to open in Llanidloes.

The market town, like Welshpool, has no bank branches after Barclays left in 2017, following in the footsteps of NatWest and HSBC.

Banking hubs are spaces that are shared by several different banks and are meant to help communities that have seen all of their branches close.

In-person banking services returned to Welshpool’s High Street for the first time in almost a year as Powys’ first banking hub officially opened last week (Thursday, December 14).

Powys county councillors for Llanidloes Glyn Preston and Gareth Morgan are campaigning for a new banking hub in Llanidloes.

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The Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats are urging locals to back their campaign by signing an online petition at www.montlibdems.org.uk/llanidloes-banking-hub so that residents can still access face-to-face banking in the area that has no High Street banks.

Councillor Preston said: “A Banking Hub has recently opened in Welshpool, which offers a space for customers of the major UK banks to do their business in the Banking Hub one day a week.

“With no banks in Llanidloes at the moment, the local Lib Dem team want to see one open here.”

Whenever a bank or building society makes a change to its network such as a branch closure or reduced opening hours it notifies LINK, the UK’s cash machine (ATM) network in advance.

LINK will then assess the location’s needs, looking at what other services are available locally, the size of the location, including people and number of shops, and determine whether the community needs a new banking hub.

A community can request a review itself. LINK will then independently assess the needs of that community using the same criteria.