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In Touch: Banks and ATMs; Assistive Tech for Work

Banks and ATMs; Assistive Tech for Work

BBC Radio 4 - In Touch, Banks and ATMs; Assistive Tech for Work

Numbers of bank branches and cash machines are declining, but what does this mean for you?

On the program, we're discussing the decline of bank branches and cash machines in the UK. Do you prefer to use cash or visit a branch?

Figures by the consumer group Which? show that, over a six year period, the number of bank branches across the UK have decreased by around 44%. The number of cash machines have also decreased; in just two years, we've lost nearly 11 thousand of them nationwide. But what does this mean for people who may prefer to use cash or visit their local branch? We speak with the Head of Money at Which?, Gareth Shaw about their findings on this. We also talk to the UK's largest provider of cash machines, LINK about the future financial landscape in the UK and to The Baron Holmes of Richmond, Lord Chris Holmes about a new pilot scheme that aims to keep the cash flowing within local communities.

And when it comes to employment, around just one in four visually impaired people of working age have a job. As you may know, there are many barriers that prevent people getting into work, but one of those is perhaps that job seekers and perspective employers alike are unaware of the technology that will aid visually impaired people when in work. Well, our reporter Fern Lulham is here to help and has put together some information about some of the best work-based technology on the market. 

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings

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