Free-to-use cash machine numbers drop to 39,000

By Jonathan Fagg, Vanessa Fillis & Emily UniaBBC England Data Team

The number of free-to-use cash machines in the UK has dropped to 39,429, the lowest number since 2008.

The use of physical money fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not returned.

Age UK said many older people, and families on low budgets, were reliant on cash.

More than 3,000 cash machines have now been protected against closure to ensure free-to-use points are within at least 1km (0.62 miles) of each other.

Chris Brooks, Age UK's head of policy, warned that many relied on cash and there were "a lot of people who would simply be left behind if the world was pushed completely online".

He said: "Lots of other groups like people with mental health conditions or people on low income find it easier to budget with cash. Domestic abuse victims who are fleeing their persecutor often need cash to escape."

Sue Hartley attends the Snack and Chat lunch club run by Worcester Community Trust, the members of which expressed their concern in the drop in free-to-use cash machines.

The 79-year-old said: "Things change so quickly and you can't imagine no cash."

Ray Poolton said that he was still using cash but, with banks closing, he had to travel further to get it, which was not always easy.

He said he does not use online banking as "it doesn't seem safe enough".

"I'm still using cash, I don't believe in not using it. Because, as I say, we'll lose it if we don't use it," he said. "But with all the banks disappearing, it makes it hard to get cash."

Data published by Link, the UK's largest cash machine network, shows there were 39,429 free-to-use cash machines nationwide at the end of 2022. That is the lowest number since 2008, when there were 38,565.

The number of pay-to-use cash machines has also dropped to 10,871 - the lowest number since 2002.

Nick Quin, Link's head of financial inclusion, said the number was reducing quickly because people were using less cash.

"We're using about 40% less cash than we were pre-Covid-19," he said.

Link has a searchable map to help people find their nearest cash machine and also allows individuals to request them to be added to their community.

It adds a free-to-use cash machine to its protected network - currently 3,335 devices in total - if the next nearest cash machine is 1km or more away.

Martin McTague, national chair of the Federation of Small Business, said that cash had become more expensive and less convenient to use.

He said: "That makes a lot of businesses think twice about accepting cash, and then they look for alternatives."

Mr Quin agreed, saying it highlighted the importance of businesses still being able to take cash in a way that was cost-effective to them.

He added: "Making sure people can get cash is irrelevant if they can't then spend it."

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