This is not a bank coming back. It is the banks agreeing to leave something behind.
Derek French has spent years arguing that when the banks walk out of a town they should leave a counter behind. On 26 June he stood at 35 High Street in Harpenden, at the corner of Thompson's Close, and cut the ribbon on one.
The Banking Hub is now open in permanent premises, and it is the only bank counter the town has. The Harpenden History Society, of which French is a member, counts six banks in Harpenden at its peak and dates the last closure to 2022; Barclays' own closure notice records its High Street branch going in September 2023. A town that cannot agree on when it lost its last bank has a fair claim to being ill-served.
What has replaced them is a shared arrangement. The hub is run through Cash Access UK, and a community banker from a different bank sits in each weekday: HSBC on Monday, NatWest Tuesday, Santander Wednesday, Barclays Thursday, and the Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland group on Friday. Over the counter you can take cash out and pay it in, deposit cheques, pay utility bills, check a balance and collect change for a till. It opens 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with a hearing loop, wheelchair access and free Wi-Fi.
The demand was proved before the permanent home was ready. An interim hub ran out of the Town Hall on Leyton Road from December 2024 and recorded more than 12,500 visits, a figure that rather answers the argument that everyone banks on a phone now. The town council pressed for close to three years, after a public exercise in 2023 found the loss of local banking was hitting residents and traders alike. French called the council "exceptional in its support and engagement". The Mayor, Cllr Kirsti Wenn, was there for the opening, with the chief executive of LINK, John Howells, and Cash Access UK's Ian Lambert.
This is not a bank coming back. It is the banks agreeing to leave something behind, and for a shopkeeper who needs to bank the day's takings without driving out of Harpenden it is worth having. The test comes in December, when the trading weeks are busiest and one desk with one banker a day has to hold. If the queue runs out of the door then, the case for more than five half-days of cover makes itself.
- Harpenden Banking Hub officially opened at 35 High Street, at the junction with Thompson's Close, on 26 June 2026
- It replaces an interim service run from Harpenden Town Hall, Leyton Road, since December 2024, which saw over 12,500 visits
- Ribbon cut by Derek French, a Harpenden History Society member and long-time banking hub campaigner
- Attended by Mayor of Harpenden Cllr Kirsti Wenn, LINK CEO John Howells and Cash Access UK's Ian Lambert
- Open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, run day-to-day by the Post Office with a hearing loop and wheelchair access
- Community bankers rotate daily: HSBC Monday, NatWest Tuesday, Santander Wednesday, Barclays Thursday, Lloyds/Halifax/Bank of Scotland Friday
- Follows the closure of Harpenden's last conventional bank branches, including NatWest (2018), HSBC and Barclays (2023)
- Harpenden Town Council campaigned for close to three years for the Hub following a 2023 public engagement exercise
Every factual claim in this story is linked to the evidence behind it. Where the newsroom has added judgement or framing, it is listed separately. Sources accessed 28 September 2026.
- Banking Hub official opening, 26 June 2026 — Harpenden History Society (community)
- Harpenden Banking Hub — Cash Access UK (business)
- Banking Hub opens permanent premises on Harpenden High Street (media)
- Harpenden Town Council press release 266 (council)
- Harpenden's banking history — Harpenden History Society (community)
- Barclays branch closure notice — Harpenden (business)
Claim by claim (12 facts, 9 editorial judgements)
- The Banking Hub officially opened on 26 June 2026 at 35 High Street, at the junction with Thompson's Close. — community, 2026-06-26“The Banking Hub officially opened on 26 June 2026 at 35 High Street, at the junction with Thompson's Close.”
- The permanent address is 35 High Street, Harpenden, AL5 2RU. — business“35 High Street, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2RU.”
- Derek French, a Harpenden History Society member and long-time banking hub campaigner, cut the ribbon and praised the Town Council. — community, 2026-06-26“I'm delighted to have been asked to do the honours today for Harpenden's High Street Banking Hub... exceptional in its support and engagement.”
- Attendees included Mayor of Harpenden Cllr Kirsti Wenn, LINK CEO John Howells, Cash Access UK regional manager Ian Lambert and a Post Office representative. — community, 2026-06-26
- The Hub previously operated as an interim facility at Harpenden Town Hall, Leyton Road, from December 2024. — media“Interim Location: Harpenden Town Hall (opened December 2024).”
- The interim Hub recorded over 12,500 customer visits since opening. — media“Over 12,500 customer visits since December 2024 opening.”
- Services include cash withdrawals/deposits, cheque deposits, utility bill payments, balance checks, business change collection and community banker appointments, open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. — business
- Community bankers rotate by day: HSBC Monday, NatWest Tuesday, Santander Wednesday, Barclays Thursday, Lloyds/Halifax/Bank of Scotland Friday. — business
- The Hub has a hearing loop, wheelchair access, free Wi-Fi and is dog-friendly. — business
- Harpenden Town Council campaigned for close to three years for the Hub, following a 2023 public engagement exercise showing significant impact from lost banking access. — media“demonstrated significant impact on residents and local businesses from lack of banking access”
- NatWest's Harpenden branch closed 22 May 2018; HSBC closed fully 18 July 2023; Barclays closed 6 September 2023. — business
- Harpenden History Society states the town lost its last bank branch in 2022, having originally had six banks. — community“Harpenden lost its last bank branch in 2022 (originally had six banks)”
- Judgement: An earlier Town Council release gave an expected permanent opening of February 2026, meaning the actual opening slipped by around four months.
- Judgement: The exact date and sequence of Harpenden's last bank branch closure is disputed between sources and not yet independently confirmed.
- Judgement: Derek French has spent years arguing that when the banks walk out of a town they should leave a counter behind (characterisation of his campaigning, drawn from his description as a long-time banking hub campaigner).
- Judgement: A town that cannot agree on when it lost its last bank has a fair claim to being ill-served.
- Judgement: The framing of the hub as a shared arrangement rather than a restored branch.
- Judgement: The 12,500 interim visits is 'a figure that rather answers the argument that everyone banks on a phone now'.
- Judgement: This is not a bank coming back. It is the banks agreeing to leave something behind.
- Judgement: For shopkeepers who need to bank takings without leaving town it is worth having.
- Judgement: The test comes in December, when the trading weeks are busiest and one desk and one banker a day have to hold; if the queue runs out of the door then, the case for a second counter makes itself.