15th June 2026
Banks are closing branches across the UK. Post offices are disappearing. HMRC no longer offers local tax offices. Local authorities increasingly expect everything to be done online. Face-to-face support is becoming increasingly hard to find.
We are facing the disappearance of functioning communities, the loss of public services, and the growing assumption that efficiency matters more than people.
In this video, I ask why so many institutions are retreating from local life. Why is it becoming so difficult to get help with banking, tax, benefits, council services, or basic advice? Why are people increasingly expected to navigate complicated systems alone? And why are decisions being made that leave many people feeling excluded from the services on which they depend?
The people who most need help are often those who are being hit hardest. Older people, those without easy internet access, people dealing with complex tax, benefit or banking issues, and many others are finding that the support they once relied upon has simply disappeared. What was once available on a local high street now often requires endless telephone calls, online forms, automated systems, and frustrating delays.
I argue that the people making these decisions rarely experience the consequences themselves. They can afford professional advice. They do not spend hours in telephone queues. They are not excluded by digital systems. As a result, they often underestimate the human cost of withdrawing services from local communities.
I also propose a practical alternative: Public Finance Hubs. These would bring together banking services, HMRC, DWP, local authorities and Citizens Advice under one roof, restoring face-to-face support to every town and community. They would provide help when people need it, where they need it, and in a way that respects dignity, privacy and accessibility. And banks should be required to pay for them as a condition of their licence to operate here in the UK.
The real question is simple. Should public services serve people, or should people be expected to serve institutions?
And if banks and public bodies benefit from public support, should they not also have a responsibility to remain present in the communities that make their existence possible?