Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

LINK installs 50th community request ATM

Cash machine operator LINK has opened its 50th free to use ATM in Kinloss, Moray as part of an initiative to ensure every single UK high street has free access to cash.

LINK said it has so far received 3,800 requests from members of the public since launching the initiative in October 2019, with funding from the banking industry.


The operator added that it is still looking to hear from communities where there is a high street with a minimum of five shops without free access to cash from via a Post Office or ATM within 1km or where circumstances such as geography or traffic may make travel to the nearest access point difficult.

When a location is identified to have a problem, LINK will visit to see if there is an appropriate location to install a new free to use ATM or whether an existing pay to use machine can become free to use. The operator expects to install 100 ATMs in communities to guarantee free access to cash.

“It’s great to see so many communities contacting us, we’ve responded to all enquiries to date and will continue to install free ATMs for communities that need them,” commented Nick Quin, LINK’s head of financial inclusion.

“We’re delighted to be supporting communities across the country with free access to cash. COVID-19 has proven that the most vulnerable people in society will continue to require free access to cash and we’re determined to respond to that need.”

While the pandemic has seen many people increasingly using digital payment methods, research conducted by the FCA highlights that there are approximately five million adults that continue to rely on cash.

“If you think your community has a problem, then firstly we always ask people to check the LINK ATM locator, as the majority of locations have good access. Not everyone is aware that there’s a free to use machine nearby or that the Post Office provide an over-the-counter service. We’ve heard from communities where ATMs are in shops that have restricted opening times, or on the other side of a busy road, and wherever there is a genuine issue we will act. Communities will always know their areas better than we can, so we want to hear from more,” Quin added.

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less