Link reveals plan to protect free ATMs
ATM network Link has announced it is launching a new national pilot programme to protect free access to cash, starting with a town in the North West Highlands, reports Jane Connolly.
In response to the concerns of local representatives, Durness will be the first of five communities across the UK with poor access to cash for which Link will commission a new free-to-use ATM. Residents of the Scottish town have to drive for an hour to reach their nearest free machine. 
In addition to the pilot scheme, Link says that it will protect free access to cash for every high street in the country. The company will achieve this by making an ATM available to any high street threatened by the loss of a cash machine or Post Office, with funding sourced from all the UK’s main banks and building societies.
“Link is determined to defend free access to cash across the UK in the face of very rapidly declining cash use,” says Link’s CEO, John Howells. “Link will take further steps to ensure that the free ATM footprint is safe in Scotland and extend its commitment to cover every high street.”
Earlier this year, the Independent Access to Cash Review found that the country is not ready to go cashless, despite the rapidly increasing use of digital payments.
