Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Tuesday 5th September 2023

The government has no plans to mandate cash acceptance. It is right that businesses choose the forms of payment they accept. The government has recently legislated to protect access to cash.

The government’s view is that as technology and consumer behaviour changes, it should remain the choice of individual businesses to determine the forms of payment that they accept. Businesses may make this decision based on their consideration of factors such as customer preference and cost and it would not be right to add another regulatory burden.

Nonetheless, while the ongoing trend in payments in the UK has been away from cash and towards card payments and digital payment methods, the government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the government recognises that, to support people’s ability to continue to transact using cash, businesses need reasonable access to cash deposit facilities to support them to keep accepting cash.

The government therefore legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The government considers that this legislation will support organisations, including local businesses, to continue accepting cash by ensuring that they have reasonable access to cash deposit facilities.

Following the passage of this legislation, the government recently published a Cash Access Policy Statement, which sets out the government’s policies on access to cash. The FCA is required by law to have regard to these policies when determining its regulatory approach in this area. The FCA will publicly consult on its regulatory approach in due course. The government’s policy statement is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cash-access-policy-statement/cash-access-policy-statement

In the context of the government’s legislation, the financial services sector is working together to develop and provide shared cash services. This includes shared Banking Hubs, among other types of facilities. In 2021, industry piloted these facilities in select locations. During the pilots, £4.65 million of cash was deposited at the Banking Hubs, and 92% of the businesses who used the hubs reported that they were more likely to keep accepting cash because of the pilots. Industry is now rolling out Banking Hubs and other shared services across the UK, with over 70 Banking Hubs announced to date. Further information about these services is available online: https://www.cashaccess.co.uk/

HM Treasury