A BRADFORD constituency is one of 30 across the UK that does not have access to a bank branch.

Consumer group Which? recently revealed that more than three in every five bank branches across the UK have closed their doors permanently since 2015.

Yorkshire and the Humber has 248 banks, which represents just 4.4 branches left per 100,000 people – making it the region with the worst branch access.

The research found 6,161 branches have been shut across the UK since 2015, representing over three-fifths (62 per cent) of the banking network.

Which? said the impact on local communities can be devastating, with some of the most vulnerable members of society, such as those living with disabilities or on lower incomes, reliant on branches and either unable or unwilling to make the switch to banking digitally.

Across the UK, there are 30 parliamentary constituencies – representing over three million people in total – without a bank branch, while another 56 are left with only one branch remaining, researchers said.

Bradford South is one of the 30 constituencies with no bank access. It includes communities such as Wibsey, Wyke, Great Horton, and Queensbury.

In 2022, Bradford South MP Judith Cummins spoke of how the closure of the last bank in her constituency – Santander in Wibsey – meant that many people had to travel three miles to access in-person banking.

At the time, she said: “The loss of local branches reduces convenient access to cash.

"While there is a growing trend to online banking and cashless transactions, research by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) shows that five million adults in the UK still use cash for most of their purchases, meanwhile the Bank of England found that 1.2 million adults do not even have bank accounts.”

She said not everyone wants or is able to use, internet banking and added: “I do not want to see people cut off from full participation in society, unable to buy goods and use services.”

New rules overseen by the FCA regulator came into effect last week, meaning banks will need to give more consideration to a local community’s cash needs before deciding to close a branch.

Many banks are also sharing facilities through banking hubs, and major banks have recently committed to opening 350 hubs by 2029.

Sam Richardson, deputy editor of Which? Money, said: “Bank branch closures can have severe impacts on local communities, including on those who still want to use cash. New rules to protect free access to cash have been hard won and should make banks think twice about shutting branches without adequate replacements.”