WEST SUSSEX, England — The Link Interchange Network Ltd. says around 2,000 new free-to-use ATMs were installed in the United Kingdom in 2007, with more than 400 of those being located in low-income areas.
The network's second-annual Consumer Committee report finds that more than 1 million people living in those low-income areas had not been served with free-to-use ATMs until after Link spearheaded its efforts, which have involved numerous banking societies in the kingdom.
"This has been a good year for the Link cash-machine network," said Ken Andrew, chairman of the consumer committee. "The number of free-to-use cash machines has increased significantly over the year, with many of these new free-to-use ATMs placed in the small proportion of targeted lower-income areas which previously did not have a free machine. The number of pay-to-use cash machines also grew slightly, helping to bring convenient cash access to locations where it would not be economically viable to run a free cash machine."
The Consumer Committee's report shows that success in some areas of the U.K. — such as major cities in Scotland, the North East and Wales — has not been matched in areas such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. ATM operators and the Consumer Committee say a fear on the part of retailers and other deployers that the installation of an ATM could generate crime could be a factor.
