Banking Services for Voluntary Bodies and Organisations

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:02 pm on 22 September 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 2:02, 22 September 2021

Diolch yn fawr, Llyr. I am aware that a number of voluntary organisations are experiencing difficulties with regard to banking services. That could be, as you say, identifying an account that is free—another burden for the voluntary sector—and also suitable to the needs of the voluntary organisations, as well as if there's one anyway now, with the closure of banks in the first place.

I think it is important that we look to our 19 county voluntary councils, particularly for the third sector—the voluntary organisations that do provide advice and guidance to the sector in their areas, in their communities—but also look to credit unions in Wales. They're able to provide accounts and banking facilities to charitable organisations. I do want to just mention a great voluntary organisation, a charity called Purple Shoots. They've been working with credit unions to promote opportunities to promote services with the credit unions for this purpose. And also, we've just appointed WCVA to establish the community asset loan fund on our behalf. We will meet with banks very shortly to remind them of their need to ensure that people in Wales are not disadvantaged by their decisions to keep closing branches, and we will raise this issue that the Member has raised with them in terms of the opportunities for voluntary organisations.

We do obviously have our commitment to our community bank. It's very tightly regulated; I think I responded in previous questions about this. Establishing the community bank for Wales is under way and, in fact, the Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething, has got the oversight of the creation of the community bank for Wales in its development phase through to the establishment by the private sector. Of course, it's Banc Cambria, and it's subject to regulatory approval when we get to that point. It is going to be a mutual bank headquartered in Wales, owned by and run for the benefit of its members with 30 new outlets over the next decade. I know that we will be able to update Members on progress, starting, of course, with the update from the Minister for Economy.