Reader's letter: Shock the banking system by using cash for ‘big ticket’ items

In response to report of closure of banks and cash machines within Horsham district.

We need to keep cash – and retention of cash is integral to USDAW’s industrial strategy for retail.

There are many advantages to cash. What about those without cards? And with cash there no chance of being embarrassed at checkouts. The most loaded cards can experience gremlins.

I was once at a motor event at Goodwood. Card machines went into overload with predictable result. Hence a cogent case for punters to load up with wads of cash going forward. We need to retain banking facilities including cash machines.

And customers have a chance to show some genuine ‘people power’ by using cash more including more big ticket items.

When recently in Edinburgh I paid a £500 hotel bill in cash. The system needs a bit of shock therapy to prevent slow death of cash and banking facilities. More everyday use of cash including the big ticket items is necessary.

I note that Rishi Sunak has raised cash and bank closures as an issue.

Now writing as I am in a professional retail capacity it is certainly not in my remit to declare a leadership preference suffice to say we need MPs and Peers in all parties coming together to make case for cash.

In light of bank closures there is certainly a case for the post office stepping into the void.

Fittleworth post office, complete with shop and café, is a wonderful template for communities. Regardless of one’s bank I have found that one do do one’s banking through the post office. And at Fittleworth one can have a coffee as well as buy a few items.

Finally to finish where I began. We need government and councils coming together to support banking facilities.

However, we also need us punters using cash more often for everyday shopping and at the pumps. And for big ticket items like hotel bills, new cars and ones golf and country clubs, etc.

To prevent a slow death of cash the system needs a bit of shock therapy.

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