Following the announcement of Barclays’ closure of their branch in Welwyn village, a replacement cash machine has been installed in the village thanks to pressure from Welwyn Hatfield’s Member of Parliament Grant Shapps.
The loss of a cash machine in the village would have had a massively negative impact on the residents of Welwyn, as well as many of the area’s local businesses. Alongside local councillors and hard-working campaigners, Grant worked hard to find an alternative location for a cash machine.
When it became clear that the local branch of Tesco was the most suitable place for it, Grant held meetings between representatives from the supermarket and Welwyn Parish Council. An agreement was reached for Tesco to host the cash machine outside their branch on the high street.
Grant said of the new cash machine: “I am very pleased that people in Welwyn will continue to have access to cash. The loss of the Barclays branch is disappointing, but in retaining the cash machine we still have access to a vital resource. I will always fight hard to protect our facilities.”
Speaking of Grant’s work on this issue, Leader of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and Welwyn West ward councillor said “Feedback on the new ATM has been very positive, and I am glad that everyone locally will still be able to easily access their cash. Grant’s work as the local MP on this was hugely important, and without his intervention we may never have achieved this.”
If there are any local issues you’d like Grant’s help with, you can contact him directly by email at grant@shapps.com, or by phone on 01707 262 632.
