Students facing unfair cash machine charges: Plaid
Students in Swansea are being charged unfairly to withdraw cash, say Plaid politicians.
Dr Dai Lloyd AM and Parliamentary Candidate Harri Roberts (Swansea West) have called for charges on ATMs to be regulated at a UK Government level.
Dr. Lloyd, who is Plaid Cymru’s Social Justice Spokesperson today (Tuesday, Feb 2nd) raised the issue with First Minister Carwyn Jones at the Assembly.
Dr. Lloyd stated:
“The only cash point available to over a thousand students living in Hendrefoelan Student Village is an ATM cash machine which charges £1.50 with each withdrawal. The nearest free to use cash machine is over a mile away.
“Plaid believes that this is a totally unacceptable situation. It is clearly unfair that students, many of whom already have sizeable student debts, have to pay £1.50 for each and every withdrawal of cash.
“It is high time that action is taken to protect our communities. It is wrong that companies should profit most from those who can afford it least. I am calling on the London Labour government to take immediate action to regulate the proliferation and charges of these ATMs
“I am hopeful that the Welsh Assembly Government can put pressure on its UK counterpart to try and protect some of our most vulnerable communities from such charges.”
Dai Lloyd added:
“The amounts that are being charged to use some of these ATMs are ridiculous. We have seen rapid increases in prices recently. Some are now charging as much as £2.50 for every withdrawal - for anybody withdrawing £10 that’s an extra 25% - a cost which many users can ill afford. To make matters worse it would appear that more deprived areas with no free cash withdrawal options are being targeted by these companies. This is disgraceful and unscrupulous behaviour by these ATM companies.”
