article_snippet: Under the new regime banks will have to consult with local communities before any branch closure and ensure there are alternatives for customers such as free cash machines,
article_snippet: ‘mobile banking vans’, and a local Post Office where they can sort out they finances.
article_snippet: Derek French from the Campaign for Community Banking said: .
article_snippet: The hardest hit will be small businesses, the elderly and the vulnerable – who rely heavily on their local bank’.
article_snippet: ‘Accessing cash and paying bills are essential services which must be easily available to everyone.