A new banking hub has opened in Stokesley following a campaign by local councillors, residents and the town’s MP to restore face-to-face banking services.
The facility has opened in a temporary home at Stokesley Methodist Church on the High Street, more than a year after the town lost its last bank branch.
The opening follows a successful campaign to overturn an initial decision that Stokesley did not qualify for a banking hub.
The hub will allow residents and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, check balances, pay bills and obtain change.
Customers will also be able to meet representatives from major High Street banks on designated days of the week.
Stokesley’s last bank branch, Santander, closed in July 2025, prompting concerns about access to banking services, particularly for older residents and businesses handling cash.
LINK, the organisation responsible for assessing communities’ access to cash, initially ruled that Stokesley did not meet the criteria for a banking hub.
However, the decision was challenged by local campaigners, Stokesley Town Council and Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak.
Mr Sunak questioned the data used to reach the original decision and requested a fresh assessment of the town’s banking needs.
Following a further review earlier this year, LINK reversed its decision and agreed that Stokesley qualified for a hub.
Stokesley councillor Bryn Griffiths welcomed the opening, describing it as the result of a sustained community effort.
He said: “After over a year of pressure from myself and Stokesley Town Council, a banking hub has been successfully established in Stokesley.
“A big thanks to everyone who has supported the campaign — it’s been a great team effort.”
The hub has been established by Cash Access UK, a not-for-profit organisation funded by major banks to provide shared banking services in communities affected by branch closures.
It is currently operating from Stokesley Methodist Church while negotiations continue over a permanent town centre location.
Mr Sunak visited the new facility and met the team running it, along with Barclays staff working at the hub that day.
He said: “It’s good to see the hub up and running providing a valued service to residents and businesses in Stokesley.
“I’d like to thank the Stokesley community, particularly the town council, for helping make the case for a rethink of the original LINK decision to deny the town a hub. The Methodist Church also deserves our thanks for stepping up to provide the temporary home.
“We now have two banking hubs in the area I represent and I am sure the Stokesley hub will be as successful as the one established in Richmond last year.”
Joe Appleton, regional director at Barclays, also welcomed the opening.
He said: “It was great to welcome Mr Sunak to the Stokesley Shared Banking Hub and discuss our commitment to strengthening access to banking services for customers, businesses and communities.”
The Stokesley facility follows the opening of a similar banking hub in Richmond last year.
Cash Access UK is now negotiating with the owner of another town centre property to secure a permanent home for the Stokesley service.
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