Royton postmaster Paul’s campaign for new banking services
Royton postmaster Paul Coughlan is campaigning to bring a 'bank hub' to the area after the town lost its last high street bank in 2018, leaving residents, especially the elderly, struggling to access financial services.
Royton Postmaster Battles to Bring Banking Back After Seven-Year Desert
Paul Coughlan shoved another petition sheet across the counter of Royton Post Office yesterday, determined to end the town’s seven-year stint without a single high-street bank. The 40-year Greater Manchester postal veteran needs 200 resident signatures to trigger a formal review that could install a rotating “bank hub” inside his branch on Market Street.
“We’re at 140 and climbing,” Coughlan said, tallying the forms collected since he launched the campaign last month. “Royton is a great village with great people, but what we really need is a banking hub—it’s imperative.” The nearest banks sit three miles away in Oldham, and even those have slashed hours or shut completely, leaving elderly residents like 83-year-old Marge boarding buses for basic transactions. “I don’t do internet,” she admitted, explaining how small online scams had drained her account before her bank refunded each loss. “I want to be able to go into a bank and talk to real people so things don’t go wrong.”
Lloyd’s, the last bank to serve Royton, locked its doors in 2018, joining a parade of closures that began a decade earlier. Coughlan, who took over the post office eight years ago and transformed what he calls a “dilapidated shop” into a thriving branch, now partners with local councillor Lewis Quigg to push the hub plan. Under the proposal, counter space would host a different major bank on alternating weekdays, giving residents face-to-face service without leaving town. Quigg urged locals on social media to complete the quick survey, saying, “Bring banking services back to Royton!”
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