A bid to bring banking services back to a Radcliffe has been submitted.

Community group Growing Together Radcliffe has applied for the town to be assessed for one of the hubs and advised the council of their action.

Six years ago Radcliffe, which has a population of around 30,000, had three banks and a building society.

Now there are none.

The Halifax building society closed in 2019 with the The Royal Bank of Scotland shutting its doors a year earlier. Its last remaining bank branch, the TSB on Market Place, closed last year.

Banking Hubs provide face-to-face access to cash and banking, whoever customers bank with. They are owned by Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office, with community bankers from major banks available on different days to meet face to face.

They’re also somewhere to speak in person with a local community representative from the customer’s own bank.

They are often on site for a specific day each week to help with more complicated transactions, such as mortgages, loans and pensions.

The local community bankers can offer debt advice and help with fraud prevention on their dedicated day of the week.

Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Danske bank, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, TSB, Ulster Bank and Virgin Money take part in the scheme but availability will vary for each banking hub based on local demand.

Banking Hubs have already opened in Rochford, Cambuslang, Brixham, Cottingham, Troon and Acton. Another 44 banking hub locations have been announced including Heywood and Horwich.

The application has been made by Growing Together Radcliffe, an umbrella body for community groups in Radcliffe who work together on various projects.

No location has been identified for such a hub at this early stage.

The group said: “We have submitted a request for Radcliffe to be assessed for a bank hub.

“A bank hub is a shared space where banks have a day a week to be accessed by the general public.

“We have also advised the council of our request.”

The hubs are funded by the banks, and run by the Post Office.

A statement on their website about the hubs said: “While the UK transitions to digital services, lots of customers still need or prefer to bank face to face.

“And easy access to cash services is essential, too.

“For many communities, a Banking Hub offers a convenient, sustainable, shared solution that brings Post Office cash services and community bankers together in one place.”