As a recent newcomer to my small, but perfectly formed, village, I have grown to accept that the notion of convenience in terms of facilities is by its nature more relaxed. I can't walk to the bank, or a shop, or indeed anything apart from a postbox in much less than half an hour. Admittedly, the postbox is just thirty yards from our gate...
The theory, and one that I broadly accept, is that facilities are to be located in larger villages and small towns, so as to benefit from economies of scale. However, there does come a point where the retreat becomes a straightforward withdrawal.
Needham Market is a growing community, whose population has trebled in the past forty years and is still growing. It is the focal point for a clutch of small villages, very few of which have any commercial facilities at all, apart from the odd pub or farm shop, but there are plenty of small businesses around.
Earlier this year, Barclays Bank announced that they would be closing their branch in the town. Apparently, it wasn't busy enough to justify its retention. And, in isolation, that was quite possibly true. In an age of internet banking and consumer choice, we visit our local bank branches far less than we used to. Twenty years ago, if I wanted to pay a credit card bill, I could either send a cheque through the post and trust that it got there in time (or at all), or I could go to my local branch, queue up with a while bunch of other people doing the same thing, and be pretty confident that my payment would get to my creditor in good time. Now, I can wake up at 3 a.m., think "bugger, I haven't paid that bill" and set up a bank transfer in a minute or so, at no material cost to me.
The catch is, for those people who need banks for other things - paying in takings, meeting a member of staff about a loan, or an investment, or who have a query that is more complex than "what is my balance" - you need some physical interface.
"Ah,", I hear you say, "but the market will provide. People can go to another bank instead!". The catch is, there is no other bank in town. Indeed, the nearest banks are in Stowmarket, four miles away, where a range of providers will happily accept your custom. Is it a major consideration when setting up a new business? Probably not, but it might make the difference between picking a rural location and a more urban one.
There is no doubt that access to services is key to establishing and sustaining your lifestyle, regardless of where you live. But, for those people determining how and where those services will be delivered, the likelihood that they are urban dwellers means that those of us who aren't are likely to be poorer in terms of choice and opportunity, and less likely to be able to live in our otherwise idyllic small communities otherwise.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that my choice to live in a small village comes with an acceptance that the services I receive from the State will not be as prevalent or convenient. But when even small towns are beginning to be abandoned, we should all be slightly concerned.
Earlier this year, Barclays Bank announced that they would be closing their branch in the town. Apparently, it wasn't busy enough to justify its retention. And, in isolation, that was quite possibly true. In an age of internet banking and consumer choice, we visit our local bank branches far less than we used to. Twenty years ago, if I wanted to pay a credit card bill, I could either send a cheque through the post and trust that it got there in time (or at all), or I could go to my local branch, queue up with a while bunch of other people doing the same thing, and be pretty confident that my payment would get to my creditor in good time. Now, I can wake up at 3 a.m., think "bugger, I haven't paid that bill" and set up a bank transfer in a minute or so, at no material cost to me.
The catch is, for those people who need banks for other things - paying in takings, meeting a member of staff about a loan, or an investment, or who have a query that is more complex than "what is my balance" - you need some physical interface.
"Ah,", I hear you say, "but the market will provide. People can go to another bank instead!". The catch is, there is no other bank in town. Indeed, the nearest banks are in Stowmarket, four miles away, where a range of providers will happily accept your custom. Is it a major consideration when setting up a new business? Probably not, but it might make the difference between picking a rural location and a more urban one.
There is no doubt that access to services is key to establishing and sustaining your lifestyle, regardless of where you live. But, for those people determining how and where those services will be delivered, the likelihood that they are urban dwellers means that those of us who aren't are likely to be poorer in terms of choice and opportunity, and less likely to be able to live in our otherwise idyllic small communities otherwise.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that my choice to live in a small village comes with an acceptance that the services I receive from the State will not be as prevalent or convenient. But when even small towns are beginning to be abandoned, we should all be slightly concerned.
2 comments:
We are heading for the world of Michael Frayn's "A Very Private Life" ("a futuristic fairy tale that describes a young girl's futile quest to make meaningful contact with another human being." - wikipedia).
Frank,
Sometimes, I fear that you may be right, although I must say that the people of mid-Suffolk, especially those in small villages, seem to take a rather broader interest in the people around them. I suppose that might be because there aren't very many of us!
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