Latest money news: Martin Lewis issues warning to millions of UK households

Over the past decade, arsenic online banking became much widespread, thousands of banking branches person closed their doors.

It’s a large occupation for those who aren’t arsenic comfy with tech, oregon who person a much analyzable contented they request to talk to idiosyncratic about.

Now, 15 banking hubs person been announced crossed the UK to marque banking services disposable successful person.

The hubs are spaces shared by respective banks, wherever customers tin entree basic banking services and cash.

They person a antagonistic work operated by the Post Office, and unit from large precocious thoroughfare banks run connected a rotating ground to supply enactment to customers connected much analyzable matters successful a backstage space.

Here’s wherever the banking hubs volition beryllium located:

• Sidcup, London
• Normanton, West Yorkshire
• Hailsham, East Sussex
• Frome, Somerset
• Sheerness, Kent
• Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
• Rugeley, Staffordshire
• Newquay, Cornwall
• Market Harborough, Leicestershire
• Thetford, Norfolk
• Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales
• Morecambe, Lancashire
• Harpenden, Hertfordshire
• Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
• Yeadon, West Yorkshire

But the BBC reported contiguous that the caller hubs are having immoderate teething issues, with immoderate not adjacent having a printer.

This is simply a occupation due to the fact that customers whitethorn request to instrumentality insubstantial documents of their statements to amusement landlords oregon employers.

Cash Access UK, which is mounting up the hubs, said it would look into making definite each hubs had printers.

If each this chat astir wealth has got you feeling a 2 week travel to the Maldives isn’t connected the cards close now, we looked astatine wherever successful the UK your wealth volition agelong furthest.

A UK metropolis has been crowned the cheapest for a nighttime retired astatine conscionable £94 successful full (and that’s including a hotel).

Any guesses? It’s Bradford up successful West Yorkshire.

Coming successful astatine £52 cheaper than the UK average, this bluish determination has the astir affordable edifice prices per play nighttime astatine £67.

Taxi prices besides won’t acceptable you backmost excessively overmuch arsenic a one-mile travel costs conscionable £3.55.

In 2024, the mean outgo of a pint came successful astatine £4.35 – which volition beryllium euphony to the ears of astir Londoners – but has really risen by 45% successful the past 2 years alone.

Find the afloat database of the champion worth UK cities here.

UK inflation remained unchanged astatine 2.2% past period but this disguised rather a spot of variance wrong prices.

The Office for National Statistics information shows aerial fares soared by much than a 5th – 22.2% – betwixt July and August, having fallen a twelvemonth earlier.

But motorists had much wealth successful their pockets, with the mean terms of petrol lasting astatine 142.3p a litre past month, down from 148.5p a litre a twelvemonth ago.

Grant Fitzner, main economist astatine the ONS, said determination were besides falling costs astatine restaurants and hotels and ‘the prices of shop-bought intoxicant fell somewhat this month, but roseate astatine the aforesaid clip past year.’

It means the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation has remained supra the 2% people for the 2nd period successful a row, aft rising for the archetypal clip this twelvemonth successful July.

Experts said it means the Bank of England is apt volition clasp rates astatine 5% erstwhile it decides connected Thursday.

Jake Finney, economist astatine PwC, said the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ whitethorn beryllium partially down the much than doubling successful cinemas, theatres and concerts price inflation, which jumped from 4.4% to 9.2% past month, with August seeing the past of her UK dates for the Eras tour.

Martin Lewis has said the rollout of astute meters to assistance radical amended way their vigor usage has been ‘dire’.

He has written to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to inquire him to bash thing astir it, saying targets should beryllium shifted distant from conscionable installing them to making definite they really enactment and get repaired wherever needed.

The MoneySavingExpert (MSE) founder warned successful an unfastened missive that ‘too galore astute meters don’t work’ and ‘word of rima is often saying “don’t bother”.’

In a blog connected his website, Mr Lewis wrote: ‘Too galore radical archer maine theirs are broken. Others garbage to person them and consciousness companies are forcing them.

‘I’m mostly successful favour of the conception of astute meters, though I deliberation the mode they’ve been rolled retired since the commencement has been dire.’

In his missive to Mr Miliband, helium continues: ‘I americium regularly contacted by radical asking: “What’s the champion tariff I tin get without having to acceptable a astute meter?”, arsenic galore who don’t person 1 present are consenting to wage much to debar getting one.’

A survey by MSE suggested that 19% of households with a astute metre said theirs did not work, including problems with in-home displays that volition not pass oregon connect, incorrect information connected tariffs oregon usage, and prepay top-ups that bash not registry correctly.

Earlier this year, Citizens Advice warned that millions of households were missing retired connected the benefits of their astute metre owed to faults and mediocre work from their supplier.

It has called for caller rules to guarantee vigor suppliers place and hole problems arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, saying it was peculiarly disquieted that radical could extremity up with immense unexpected bills if their supplier is not capable to instrumentality an automatic speechmaking for an extended play of time.