2 weeks Ago
A constituency in Sussex is amongst the UK areas with the biggest declines in ATM usage. Brighton Pavilion recorded a 61 per cent fall in withdrawals since 2019, according to cash machine network Link. This places it in joint 12th position nationwide for the most significant drops in ATM usage.
Bristol Central and Edinburgh North saw the biggest drop offs, with both seeing a 67 per cent decline in ATM usage since 2019. Link's analysis found that UK banking customers are withdrawing about £100 million less from ATMs each day, compared to the pre-coronavirus pandemic period. In 2019, £116 billion was withdrawn from the network’s ATMs, but by 2024, this had fallen by 31 per cent, to around £80 billion withdrawn.
The analysis showed a trend of areas with higher levels of deprivation and digital exclusion moving away from cash more slowly than more affluent areas. Even in quieter, more remote constituencies, more than £400,000 was still withdrawn from Link ATMs every month last year. Link's chief executive, John Howells, said: "Covid changed how we live, how we work, and for many people, how we manage our cash.
"The fact that areas which are more deprived are moving away from cash more slowly is a timely reminder that we cannot afford to leave anyone behind, and that we need to focus more on digital inclusion as part of how technology is rolled out across the UK." Other areas with significant drops include the Cities of London and Westminster (66 per cent), Edinburgh South and Holborn and St Pancras (both 65 per cent), and Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Glasgow North, Sheffield Central, and York Central (all 64 per cent). Brighton Pavilion shared its 61 per cent decline with Islington South and Finsbury, Edinburgh West, and Wimbledon.
The data compiled by Link compared ATM usage volumes from 2019 with those in 2024, using ATMs within 2024 constituency boundaries. The figures underscore a nationwide shift away from cash usage and highlight the need for digital inclusion as technology continues to evolve across the UK..
