A NEW banking hub will be 'opening soon' following the closure of high street bank branches.

MP for Barrow and Furness Simon Fell announced that Ulverston's new banking hub will be located at 1-3 Market Street - the second hub to open in Cumbria.

The hub will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks can carry out regular cash transactions, from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

Nine firms are supporting the hubs in the UK including Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Danske Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Santander, TSB and Virgin Money.

Mr Fell explained it will also offer a Community Banker service where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues on the day their bank is in the hub.

He said: "I would like to thank Cash Access UK, the Post Office, and LINK for working so hard to get this project over the line and for listening to local residents’ concerns when I raised them with them. This is a really important step forward for Ulverston and I can’t wait to see the new branch open and serving the community soon.

"Contracts have been exchanged, work is already going in there and pretty soon you will have a full counter service where you can get cash out where if you are a personal customer, if you are a business customer you can go and see someone face to face.

"It is a massive step forward. I am really glad we have got it over the line. I can't wait to see the new signage go up. Even more importantly, can't wait to see those doors open very soon."

Lloyds Banking Group announced last year that it will close 123 of its UK branches in 2024  - including the Ulverston branch on July 16.

Around 1,600 jobs will be cut across its network as part of a shift towards online banking. 

HSBC, Barclays, Natwest and Santander have also closed in the last eight years.