Samuel Kurtz MS has written to LINK, the UK’s cash access coordinator, formally requesting that it reconsiders its decision not to establish a Banking Hub in Pembroke Dock following the closure of the town’s last remaining bank branch.
The Lloyds Bank branch on Dimond Street closed on 26 June 2025, leaving South Pembrokeshire without any in-person banking facilities for residents or businesses. Mr Kurtz argues that the original LINK assessment, carried out in January 2025, failed to reflect the realities of life in South Pembrokeshire, overlooking the area’s geography, demographics, and reliance on cash-based local businesses.
Samuel Kurtz MS said:
“The closure of Lloyds in Pembroke Dock has left tens of thousands of residents and local businesses without access to basic banking services. LINK’s original assessment was based on outdated assumptions and missed key evidence about deprivation, age, and digital exclusion in South Pembrokeshire.”
He added,
“Pembroke Dock isn’t just a town — it’s the main service and retail hub for communities stretching from Pembroke and Tenby to Angle and Saundersfoot. It’s simply not fair or practical to expect people to travel 40 miles or more to the nearest full banking service. It’s time for LINK to take a fresh look at this decision.”
In his formal request, Samuel Kurtz MS highlights several key points for reconsideration:
- Inadequate alternatives: Post Offices cannot offer essential banking functions such as financial advice, savings guidance, or business banking services.
- Cash-based economy: Pembroke Dock and Pembroke have a high proportion of small, cash-reliant retailers.
- Regional significance: Pembroke Dock acts as a central service hub for a much wider South Pembrokeshire population — estimated at over 54,000 residents.
- High deprivation and digital exclusion: ONS and WIMD data show that parts of Pembroke Dock are among the 10% most deprived areas in Wales. Only 65.1% of homes and businesses in Pembrokeshire have access to gigabit-capable broadband, limiting the feasibility of online banking.
- Ageing population: One in four residents in Pembrokeshire are aged 65 or over, many of whom are less able to travel or bank online.
- Travel barriers: Journeys to alternative branches in Haverfordwest or Carmarthen can take over an hour by car, longer on public transport — unrealistic for many older or low-income residents.
- Community support: More than 640 people have signed an online petition calling for a Banking Hub, alongside a paper petition organised by Pembroke Dock Town Council.
The Member of the Senedd for South Pembrokeshire also points to the vacant former Lloyds Bank premises on Dimond Street, which he describes as an ideal, ready-to-use site for a Banking Hub.
He said,
“Other UK towns with smaller populations and lower deprivation levels have been awarded Banking Hubs,” Mr Kurtz added. “There is no reason why Pembroke Dock — with its size, catchment area, and clear community need — should be treated differently.”
Mr Kurtz’s letter calls on LINK to undertake a full and updated assessment of banking provision in South Pembrokeshire, taking into account new evidence gathered since the January 2025 review. Any residents wanting to support the Banking Hub campaign can find out more information at www.Samuelkurtz.com
