Action to ensure everyone has access to cash

 As more and more organisations move away from cash, access to banking services becomes less a matter of lifestyle choice and more and more a basic necessity.

• That's why it's a huge mistake to see the "De-banking" row as being about Nigel Farage - it's about all of us. 
• Gina Miller had banking problems too, and so do many people who are not famous enough to generate newspaper headlines.

But the changes in the way we pay for things is not just about whether you can get a bank account or can pay for things using your mobile phone. Right now there are plenty of people who do not have banking services and don't have a smartphone or only want or know how to use it to make telephone calls, and they need access to cash.

To address this issue, the government has announced that banks and building societies must ensure people are no more than three miles away from withdrawing cash and can withdraw cash without any fees – something that has been set out in law. 

• While the country is moving further away from using coins and notes, cash can still be an integral part of many businesses and people’s lives.
• So the government has published a statement setting the minimum expectations on banks to ensure that people are no further than three miles away from withdrawing cash. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has also been given new powers by the Government to protect the provision of cash access services with the ability to fine banks and building societies if they do not keep up these standards.
• Conservatives are taking action to protect access to cash in law and ensuring the FCA has the power to deal with any banks and building societies that do not adhere to these standards.