When the first cash machine was introduced to the UK in 1967, banking was forever revolutionised, enabling Brits to withdraw their hard-earned cash at any time of day or night. But with new technologies came new ways to pay, and cash has somewhat fallen by the wayside in recent years; indeed, in 2022, half of all payments in the UK were made using a debit card.
But despite fears we’re on a slippery slope towards a totally cashless society, most of the UK public opposes the concept, with many Brits without access to technology or a bank account relying on physical notes and coins to do their day-to-day transactions.
So, it’s clear that cash is still important — but you can’t necessarily get hold of some if there’s no cash machine near you. This compelled us to ask: how does the availability of ATMs vary across the country? And where are the best and worst places in the UK for finding a cash machine? Data analysts at Merchant Machine used the latest figures from LINK to find out.
Sections
How We Conducted This Study
We used LINK’s Monthly ATM Report to calculate each parliamentary constituency’s latest count of free-to-use, pay-to-use and counter-access ATMs per 100,000 of the local population. We also combined the number of ATMs within different constituencies if they sat within a particular city to get a city count. The total count of ATMs separated any locations tied to the number of ATMs per 100k people.
Key Findings
- Manchester has the best availability of cash machines of any city in the UK (532 per 100,000 people).
- Cambridge has the worst cash machine availability of any city, counting only 71.3 ATMs per 100,000 people.
- Cities of London and Westminster boast more cash machines (454.3) per 100,000 people than any other parliamentary constituency.
- In contrast, Chesham and Amersham offers the fewest (24.8) ATMs per 100,000 people.
Comparing Cash Machine Availability across the UK
While 63% of British adults say they don’t use cash machines very often, access to cash is something we all need from time to time. But depending on where you live in the UK, cash machines might be on every corner or few and far between. Use our tool below to discover how your town ranks nationally on the number of ATMs per 100,000 people and how it compares with another location.
Over Half of the UK Forecasted To Be Cashless by 2054
We used the total number of ATMs by parliamentary constituency to create forecasting models 50 years in the future for each UK region to determine when each area across the nation will become cashless.
By 2054, over 60% of UK constituencies will have less than one ATM in the area:
| Year | No. of Cashless Constituencies (out of 650) | % of Cashless Constituencies |
|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 14 | 2.15% |
| 2034 | 85 | 13.08% |
| 2039 | 246 | 37.85% |
| 2044 | 349 | 53.69% |
| 2049 | 379 | 58.31% |
| 2054 | 391 | 60.15% |
Places in The East, South East and South West of England Are Expected To Go Cashless by 2026
With all our forecasted data in hand, we were able to rank the parliamentary constituencies that will become cashless the quickest by region:
| Region | Parliamentary Constituency | Completely Cashless (No ATMs) By |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | South Cambridgeshire | June 2026 |
| London | Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner | June 2026 |
| South East | Newbury | August 2026 |
| South West | Somerton and Frome | August 2026 |
| West Midlands | Dudley North | October 2027 |
| Scotland | East Dunbartonshire | November 2027 |
| North West | Tatton | May 2031 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | York Outer | May 2031 |
| East Midlands | Sleaford and North Hykeham | June 2031 |
| Wales | Ogmore | January 2033 |
| North East | Redcar | January 2034 |
| Northern Ireland | Belfast East | May 2038 |
Our data shows that The East of England and London could expect to see all their ATMs gone by June 2026. If the current trend continues, the South East and the South West can be expected to follow suit by August 2026.
Explore the full ranking below:
| Region | Parliamentary Constituency | Completely Cashless (No ATMs) By |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | South Cambridgeshire | June 2026 |
| London | Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner | June 2026 |
| South East | Newbury | August 2026 |
| South West | Somerton and Frome | August 2026 |
| South West | Cheltenham | April 2027 |
| South East | South West Surrey | August 2027 |
| South East | Hove | September 2027 |
| East of England | Mid Norfolk | September 2027 |
| West Midlands | Dudley North | October 2027 |
| Scotland | East Dunbartonshire | November 2027 |
| East of England | South Basildon and East Thurrock | November 2027 |
| Scotland | North Ayrshire and Arran | January 2028 |
| South East | Mole Valley | January 2029 |
| East of England | Castle Point | April 2029 |
| West Midlands | Wolverhampton North East | June 2029 |
| London | Islington South and Finsbury | November 2029 |
| South East | Runnymede and Weybridge | November 2029 |
| South East | Chesham and Amersham | December 2029 |
| London | Chelsea and Fulham | September 2030 |
| London | Cities of London and Westminster | October 2030 |
| South East | Windsor | October 2030 |
| West Midlands | Solihull | December 2030 |
| Scotland | West Dunbartonshire | December 2030 |
| East of England | Welwyn Hatfield | March 2031 |
| North West | Tatton | May 2031 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | York Outer | May 2031 |
| South East | Portsmouth North | May 2031 |
| South West | Bournemouth East | June 2031 |
| East Midlands | Sleaford and North Hykeham | June 2031 |
| East Midlands | Derbyshire Dales | July 2031 |
| South East | Wokingham | July 2031 |
| South West | Devizes | August 2031 |
| South East | Beaconsfield | November 2031 |
| East of England | North East Hertfordshire | November 2031 |
| London | Chingford and Woodford Green | December 2031 |
| East of England | West Suffolk | January 2032 |
| London | Brent Central | January 2032 |
| London | Holborn and St Pancras | February 2032 |
| London | Harrow East | May 2032 |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Edgbaston | September 2032 |
| South West | Bristol West | September 2032 |
| South West | Camborne and Redruth | September 2032 |
| East of England | Southend West | September 2032 |
| London | Leyton and Wanstead | October 2032 |
| East Midlands | Bassetlaw | November 2032 |
| North West | City of Chester | November 2032 |
| East Midlands | Broxtowe | November 2032 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Batley and Spen | December 2032 |
| London | Vauxhall | December 2032 |
| London | Finchley and Golders Green | December 2032 |
| West Midlands | Kenilworth and Southam | January 2033 |
| North West | Stretford and Urmston | January 2033 |
| Wales | Ogmore | January 2033 |
| East Midlands | Harborough | February 2033 |
| South West | Forest of Dean | March 2033 |
| London | Kingston and Surbiton | March 2033 |
| London | Bethnal Green and Bow | April 2033 |
| London | Hackney South and Shoreditch | May 2033 |
| East of England | Cambridge | May 2033 |
| London | Westminster North | June 2033 |
| South West | Torridge and West Devon | June 2033 |
| South East | Southampton, Test | June 2033 |
| South East | Bexhill and Battle | July 2033 |
| East of England | Colchester | July 2033 |
| South East | Guildford | August 2033 |
| Scotland | Aberdeen South | August 2033 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Selby and Ainsty | August 2033 |
| East Midlands | Mid Derbyshire | August 2033 |
| London | Feltham and Heston | September 2033 |
| South East | Banbury | September 2033 |
| South East | Winchester | September 2033 |
| London | Wimbledon | October 2033 |
| South West | Filton and Bradley Stoke | October 2033 |
| South East | Aldershot | November 2033 |
| East of England | Hertford and Stortford | November 2033 |
| South East | Dover | December 2033 |
| South West | East Devon | December 2033 |
| North East | Redcar | January 2034 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Leeds North East | February 2034 |
| South West | St Austell and Newquay | February 2034 |
| South West | South West Devon | February 2034 |
| East of England | South Norfolk | February 2034 |
| London | Hornsey and Wood Green | March 2034 |
| South East | Buckingham | March 2034 |
| South East | Eastleigh | April 2034 |
| Scotland | East Renfrewshire | May 2034 |
| East of England | Huntingdon | May 2034 |
| North West | Morecambe and Lunesdale | June 2034 |
| London | Putney | June 2034 |
| East Midlands | Derby North | July 2034 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Leeds North West | July 2034 |
| East of England | South West Bedfordshire | July 2034 |
| South East | Meon Valley | September 2034 |
| South West | Truro and Falmouth | September 2034 |
| East Midlands | Nottingham South | September 2034 |
| Wales | Cardiff Central | September 2034 |
| North West | Chorley | September 2034 |
| North West | Wyre and Preston North | September 2034 |
| London | Lewisham East | October 2034 |
| South West | North East Somerset | October 2034 |
| South East | East Worthing and Shoreham | October 2034 |
| Scotland | Glasgow Central | November 2034 |
| South West | Kingswood | December 2034 |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Hall Green | December 2034 |
| East of England | Basildon and Billericay | December 2034 |
| South East | Wantage | January 2035 |
| South East | Oxford East | January 2035 |
| South West | South East Cornwall | February 2035 |
| North West | Wirral West | February 2035 |
| South East | New Forest West | February 2035 |
| East of England | Watford | April 2035 |
| South East | Brighton, Pavilion | April 2035 |
| North East | Hexham | April 2035 |
| South East | Henley | April 2035 |
| East of England | South West Hertfordshire | April 2035 |
| South East | Tonbridge and Malling | April 2035 |
| South East | Esher and Walton | June 2035 |
| North West | Bolton West | June 2035 |
| London | Edmonton | June 2035 |
| Wales | Cardiff South and Penarth | June 2035 |
| Scotland | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | June 2035 |
| South West | Poole | June 2035 |
| East of England | North Norfolk | August 2035 |
| London | Orpington | August 2035 |
| South West | Exeter | August 2035 |
| North West | Manchester, Withington | August 2035 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Sheffield, Hallam | August 2035 |
| Scotland | Edinburgh South West | October 2035 |
| London | Islington North | October 2035 |
| North West | Altrincham and Sale West | October 2035 |
| North East | Stockton North | October 2035 |
| West Midlands | South Staffordshire | October 2035 |
| South East | North East Hampshire | October 2035 |
| North West | Ribble Valley | October 2035 |
| South West | Plymouth, Moor View | October 2035 |
| Wales | Llanelli | October 2035 |
| West Midlands | Redditch | October 2035 |
| East Midlands | Charnwood | October 2035 |
| South West | Tiverton and Honiton | December 2035 |
| South East | Fareham | December 2035 |
| East of England | Bedford | December 2035 |
| East Midlands | Loughborough | December 2035 |
| West Midlands | Lichfield | January 2036 |
| North West | Blackpool North and Cleveleys | February 2036 |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Erdington | February 2036 |
| West Midlands | Stourbridge | February 2036 |
| London | Poplar and Limehouse | February 2036 |
| North West | Southport | March 2036 |
| East Midlands | Rutland and Melton | April 2036 |
| London | Old Bexley and Sidcup | April 2036 |
| London | Hampstead and Kilburn | April 2036 |
| London | Dulwich and West Norwood | April 2036 |
| West Midlands | Dudley South | April 2036 |
| Wales | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | April 2036 |
| London | Beckenham | May 2036 |
| South West | Bristol South | May 2036 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Skipton and Ripon | May 2036 |
| London | Ealing Central and Acton | June 2036 |
| East Midlands | High Peak | June 2036 |
| East of England | Broxbourne | July 2036 |
| East Midlands | North West Leicestershire | July 2036 |
| North West | Manchester Central | August 2036 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Pudsey | August 2036 |
| West Midlands | Stratford-on-Avon | August 2036 |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Ladywood | September 2036 |
| North East | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | September 2036 |
| North West | Macclesfield | September 2036 |
| South East | East Surrey | October 2036 |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Selly Oak | October 2036 |
| South West | Newton Abbot | October 2036 |
| London | Enfield, Southgate | November 2036 |
| London | Bermondsey and Old Southwark | November 2036 |
| West Midlands | Tamworth | November 2036 |
| North West | West Lancashire | November 2036 |
| Wales | Pontypridd | January 2037 |
| North West | Carlisle | January 2037 |
| East of England | Hitchin and Harpenden | January 2037 |
| South West | Chippenham | January 2037 |
| North West | Lancaster and Fleetwood | February 2037 |
| North East | Blaydon | February 2037 |
| North West | Congleton | February 2037 |
| South East | Lewes | February 2037 |
| East Midlands | Gedling | March 2037 |
| London | Hendon | March 2037 |
| South West | Christchurch | March 2037 |
| West Midlands | Bromsgrove | March 2037 |
| South West | North Devon | April 2037 |
| West Midlands | Stoke-on-Trent Central | April 2037 |
| North West | Weaver Vale | May 2037 |
| East of England | Hemel Hempstead | June 2037 |
| North West | Warrington North | June 2037 |
| South West | Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport | June 2037 |
| North East | North Tyneside | June 2037 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | East Yorkshire | July 2037 |
| North East | Newcastle upon Tyne North | July 2037 |
| Wales | Vale of Glamorgan | August 2037 |
| South West | Stroud | September 2037 |
| West Midlands | Sutton Coldfield | September 2037 |
| London | Tooting | September 2037 |
| North West | Fylde | September 2037 |
| East Midlands | Grantham and Stamford | September 2037 |
| South East | Wealden | November 2037 |
| South East | Woking | November 2037 |
| North East | Tynemouth | November 2037 |
| North West | Copeland | December 2037 |
| East Midlands | Lincoln | December 2037 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Leeds Central | January 2038 |
| North West | South Ribble | January 2038 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Richmond (Yorks) | February 2038 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Wentworth and Dearne | March 2038 |
| South East | Reigate | March 2038 |
| South West | North Wiltshire | March 2038 |
| West Midlands | Cannock Chase | April 2038 |
| South West | The Cotswolds | April 2038 |
| South West | North Cornwall | April 2038 |
| Scotland | Stirling | May 2038 |
| East of England | Ipswich | May 2038 |
| Northern Ireland | Belfast East | May 2038 |
| London | Harrow West | June 2038 |
| Scotland | Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East | June 2038 |
| Wales | Ceredigion | June 2038 |
| North West | Penrith and The Border | June 2038 |
| South East | Ashford | July 2038 |
| Wales | Cardiff North | July 2038 |
| East of England | Norwich North | August 2038 |
| London | Sutton and Cheam | August 2038 |
| Wales | Monmouth | August 2038 |
| East of England | Maldon | August 2038 |
| East Midlands | South Leicestershire | September 2038 |
| Wales | Swansea East | September 2038 |
| London | Hornchurch and Upminster | October 2038 |
| London | Tottenham | October 2038 |
| South East | Canterbury | November 2038 |
| East Midlands | Northampton South | November 2038 |
| South East | Oxford West and Abingdon | November 2038 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Penistone and Stocksbridge | December 2038 |
| London | East Ham | January 2039 |
| London | Camberwell and Peckham | January 2039 |
| North West | Bury North | February 2039 |
| London | Walthamstow | February 2039 |
| North West | Leigh | February 2039 |
| North West | Wirral South | March 2039 |
| South East | Aylesbury | March 2039 |
| Scotland | Gordon | March 2039 |
| South East | Dartford | March 2039 |
| Scotland | Edinburgh North and Leith | April 2039 |
| London | Greenwich and Woolwich | May 2039 |
| East of England | Chelmsford | May 2039 |
| East of England | Norwich South | May 2039 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Haltemprice and Howden | June 2039 |
| South West | Bournemouth West | June 2039 |
| Wales | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | June 2039 |
| London | Mitcham and Morden | July 2039 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Harrogate and Knaresborough | July 2039 |
| East of England | Hertsmere | July 2039 |
| South East | Havant | July 2039 |
| North East | South Shields | September 2039 |
| North West | Worsley and Eccles South | September 2039 |
| South West | Torbay | September 2039 |
| East Midlands | Newark | September 2039 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Rotherham | September 2039 |
| East of England | Epping Forest | October 2039 |
| North West | Barrow and Furness | November 2039 |
| South East | Mid Sussex | November 2039 |
| London | Croydon North | December 2039 |
| London | Brentford and Isleworth | December 2039 |
| South East | Rochester and Strood | December 2039 |
| East Midlands | Sherwood | December 2039 |
| London | Ilford North | December 2039 |
| North East | City of Durham | December 2039 |
| South East | Spelthorne | December 2039 |
| East Midlands | Erewash | February 2040 |
| East Midlands | Ashfield | February 2040 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | York Central | February 2040 |
| West Midlands | Worcester | February 2040 |
| Scotland | Edinburgh South | February 2040 |
| London | Chipping Barnet | February 2040 |
| North East | Houghton and Sunderland South | April 2040 |
| North West | Heywood and Middleton | April 2040 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Kingston upon Hull North | April 2040 |
| Scotland | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | June 2040 |
| London | Ealing, Southall | June 2040 |
| London | Barking | June 2040 |
| South West | South West Wiltshire | June 2040 |
| West Midlands | Wolverhampton South West | June 2040 |
| West Midlands | Newcastle-under-Lyme | June 2040 |
| London | Bromley and Chislehurst | July 2040 |
| South West | West Dorset | August 2040 |
| North West | Warrington South | August 2040 |
| Wales | Gower | September 2040 |
| South West | Bath | October 2040 |
| East Midlands | Northampton North | October 2040 |
| East of England | Thurrock | November 2040 |
| South West | Thornbury and Yate | November 2040 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Beverley and Holderness | December 2040 |
| West Midlands | West Bromwich East | December 2040 |
| East of England | North West Cambridgeshire | December 2040 |
| Northern Ireland | Belfast South | January 2041 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Sheffield Central | January 2041 |
| West Midlands | Aldridge-Brownhills | February 2041 |
| South West | North Dorset | February 2041 |
| Wales | Aberavon | March 2041 |
| West Midlands | West Bromwich West | March 2041 |
| East of England | Braintree | March 2041 |
| London | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | April 2041 |
| South East | Hastings and Rye | May 2041 |
| South East | Witney | May 2041 |
| Scotland | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | June 2041 |
| South West | St Ives | July 2041 |
| South East | Southampton, Itchen | July 2041 |
| South East | Tunbridge Wells | July 2041 |
| North West | Stockport | August 2041 |
| North West | St Helens North | September 2041 |
| West Midlands | Walsall South | September 2041 |
| North West | Garston and Halewood | September 2041 |
| West Midlands | Coventry South | October 2041 |
| North East | Darlington | November 2041 |
| London | Croydon Central | November 2041 |
| North East | Washington and Sunderland West | November 2041 |
| London | Erith and Thamesmead | January 2042 |
| Wales | Rhondda | January 2042 |
| London | Ealing North | May 2042 |
| South West | Bristol North West | May 2042 |
| London | Dagenham and Rainham | July 2042 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Morley and Outwood | October 2042 |
| Wales | Montgomeryshire | October 2042 |
| Scotland | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | November 2042 |
| Scotland | Glasgow South West | November 2042 |
| West Midlands | Mid Worcestershire | December 2042 |
| Wales | Arfon | January 2043 |
| Wales | Newport East | January 2043 |
| North West | Workington | February 2043 |
| East Midlands | Leicester South | March 2043 |
| London | Lewisham, Deptford | March 2043 |
| West Midlands | North Shropshire | March 2043 |
| South West | South Swindon | May 2043 |
| South West | Yeovil | May 2043 |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Northfield | June 2043 |
| North West | Wigan | July 2043 |
| South East | Epsom and Ewell | September 2043 |
| South West | Salisbury | October 2043 |
| Northern Ireland | South Antrim | November 2043 |
| South East | Slough | November 2043 |
| North East | Blyth Valley | December 2043 |
| North East | Sedgefield | December 2043 |
| South East | Surrey Heath | January 2044 |
| North West | Westmorland and Lonsdale | January 2044 |
| East Midlands | Kettering | March 2044 |
| South East | Gravesham | April 2044 |
| London | Battersea | June 2044 |
| West Midlands | Shrewsbury and Atcham | June 2044 |
| North West | Bolton North East | August 2044 |
| Scotland | Lanark and Hamilton East | February 2045 |
| South East | Eastbourne | March 2045 |
| East of England | Brentwood and Ongar | April 2045 |
| North West | Bury South | April 2045 |
| North West | Preston | July 2045 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Doncaster Central | December 2045 |
| East Midlands | South Derbyshire | January 2046 |
| Wales | Ynys Môn | January 2046 |
| West Midlands | Rugby | January 2046 |
| Scotland | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | February 2046 |
| South West | Central Devon | March 2046 |
| Northern Ireland | Strangford | March 2046 |
| Wales | Torfaen | April 2046 |
| East Midlands | Bosworth | July 2046 |
| West Midlands | West Worcestershire | July 2046 |
| Northern Ireland | South Down | September 2046 |
| Scotland | Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill | February 2047 |
| East Midlands | North East Derbyshire | May 2047 |
| South East | Milton Keynes North | July 2047 |
| East of England | Bury St Edmunds | March 2048 |
| East of England | Rayleigh and Wickford | April 2048 |
| North West | Knowsley | June 2048 |
| East Midlands | Amber Valley | June 2048 |
| West Midlands | Nuneaton | August 2048 |
| South West | Bristol East | October 2048 |
| South East | Gosport | December 2048 |
| East Midlands | Nottingham North | December 2048 |
| London | Hayes and Harlington | April 2049 |
| Wales | Preseli Pembrokeshire | June 2049 |
| London | Richmond Park | January 2051 |
| South West | Taunton Deane | July 2051 |
| Scotland | East Lothian | November 2051 |
| North West | Crewe and Nantwich | December 2051 |
| London | Carshalton and Wallington | April 2052 |
| Scotland | Airdrie and Shotts | December 2052 |
| Northern Ireland | North Antrim | December 2052 |
| West Midlands | Stafford | March 2053 |
| Northern Ireland | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | April 2053 |
| North West | Bootle | August 2053 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Brigg and Goole | July 2054 |
| North West | Blackley and Broughton | October 2054 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | Rother Valley | December 2054 |
| London | Eltham | November 2055 |
| North East | Stockton South | September 2057 |
| East Midlands | Corby | November 2058 |
| East Midlands | Wellingborough | April 2059 |
| North West | Wythenshawe and Sale East | February 2063 |
| West Midlands | Walsall North | December 2063 |
| West Midlands | Wolverhampton South East | October 2066 |
| North West | Halton | August 2067 |
| Scotland | Motherwell and Wishaw | September 2068 |
Cambridge, Exeter, Wigan and Bristol Could Go Completely Cashless by 2035
By grouping individual Parliamentary Constituencies into cities, we were also able to rank the major UK cities that will go cashless sooner. The city ranking at the top of this list is Cambridge. According to our forecasts, Cambridge could see all their ATMs go by July 2033, with Exeter reaching that point by December 2034.
| UK City | No ATMs By | Time Until Cashless |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | July 2033 | 9 Years, 3 Months |
| Exeter | December 2034 | 10 Years, 8 Months |
| Wigan | March 2035 | 10 Years, 11 Months |
| Bristol | November 2035 | 11 Years, 7 Months |
| Slough | March 2036 | 11 Years, 11 Months |
| Brighton | April 2036 | 12 Years, 0 Months |
| Oxford | April 2036 | 12 Years, 0 Months |
| Milton Keynes | July 2036 | 12 Years, 3 Months |
| Plymouth | July 2036 | 12 Years, 3 Months |
| York | September 2036 | 12 Years, 5 Months |
| London | October 2036 | 12 Years, 6 Months |
| Bournemouth | December 2036 | 12 Years, 8 Months |
| Nottingham | February 2037 | 12 Years, 10 Months |
| Aldershot | May 2037 | 13 Years, 1 Months |
| Southampton | June 2037 | 13 Years, 2 Months |
| Portsmouth | July 2037 | 13 Years, 3 Months |
| Reading | November 2037 | 13 Years, 7 Months |
| Cardiff | April 2038 | 14 Years, 0 Months |
| Edinburgh | May 2038 | 14 Years, 1 Months |
| Norwich | July 2038 | 14 Years, 3 Months |
| Basildon | December 2038 | 14 Years, 8 Months |
| Aberdeen | January 2039 | 14 Years, 9 Months |
| Warrington | April 2039 | 15 Years, 0 Months |
| Preston | April 2039 | 15 Years, 0 Months |
| Blackpool | August 2039 | 15 Years, 4 Months |
| Southend | September 2039 | 15 Years, 5 Months |
| Derby | November 2039 | 15 Years, 7 Months |
| Newcastle | November 2039 | 15 Years, 7 Months |
| Ipswich | January 2041 | 16 Years, 9 Months |
| Medway | January 2041 | 16 Years, 9 Months |
| Swindon | June 2041 | 17 Years, 2 Months |
| Dudley | August 2041 | 17 Years, 4 Months |
| Leeds | August 2041 | 17 Years, 4 Months |
| Birmingham | October 2041 | 17 Years, 6 Months |
| Manchester | December 2041 | 17 Years, 8 Months |
| Swansea | July 2042 | 18 Years, 3 Months |
| Gloucester | March 2043 | 18 Years, 11 Months |
| Mansfield | June 2043 | 19 Years, 2 Months |
| Newport | August 2043 | 19 Years, 4 Months |
| Glasgow | September 2043 | 19 Years, 5 Months |
| Middlesbrough | April 2044 | 20 Years, 0 Months |
| Worthing | June 2044 | 20 Years, 2 Months |
| Sheffield | September 2044 | 20 Years, 5 Months |
| Leicester | July 2045 | 21 Years, 3 Months |
| Sunderland | July 2045 | 21 Years, 3 Months |
| Hull | November 2047 | 23 Years, 7 Months |
| Bolton | March 2048 | 23 Years, 11 Months |
| Burnley | June 2048 | 24 Years, 2 Months |
| Stoke | August 2048 | 24 Years, 4 Months |
| Liverpool | February 2049 | 24 Years, 10 Months |
| Coventry | July 2049 | 25 Years, 3 Months |
| Wakefield | October 2055 | 31 Years, 6 Months |
| Bradford | February 2057 | 32 Years, 10 Months |
| Huddersfield | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Dundee | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Doncaster | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Crawley | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Blackburn | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Birkenhead | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Belfast | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Barnsley | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Telford | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Peterborough | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
| Luton | Later than 2074 | More than 50 years |
Manchester Has the Most ATMs per 100,000 People in Any UK City
If you’re strapped for physical cash in Manchester, you’re in luck: the city boasts the highest number of ATMs (532) per 100,000 local people of any UK city. In an increasingly cashless world, the Manchester Civic Society’s campaign to “protect cash” managed to get five institutions — including the Manchester Royal Infirmary and Whitworth Art Gallery — to return to accepting physical cash.
In second place comes Belfast (471.7), where in April 2024 the council introduced new cashless payment systems to council-run car parks. Newcastle (461.6), in third place, made the same decision in 2023, despite concerns that it would “lock out” low-income families and the elderly from being able to park in the city centre.
Meanwhile, Cambridge has the fewest (71.3) ATMs per 100,000 local people. In 2021, Cambridge City Council eliminated cash from its customer service provision, pledging to help transition locals who previously used cash to “different channels.” Also low on the list is Cardiff (72.9), a city that has seen a significant increase in the number of cashless transactions in recent years.
A Central London Constituency Ranks as UK’s Best for Finding a Cash Machine
Next, we discovered that the Cities of London and Westminster rank as the best constituencies in the UK in which to withdraw cash, counting 454.3 ATMs per 100,000 local people. Being so central in the UK capital, it’s no wonder cash is easily available here for the benefit of businesspeople and tourists alike. Glasgow Central comes next (219.4), even after a 25.7% reduction in ATMs between 2018 and 2022.
In contrast, Chesham and Amersham has the worst ATM access of any constituency in the UK, counting only 24.8 cash machines per 100,000 people. Brick-and-mortar banks — a fallback option for withdrawing cash — have been closing in the area, too, moving the local MP Sarah Green to comment: “Towns around my constituency have seen banks disappearing from their high streets at an alarming rate … Residents are worried that these closures will make it harder to do business locally and result in the isolation of individuals who cannot bank online.”
Our visualisation below reveals the best and worst constituencies for ATM access in every UK region. Blackpool South comes top in the North West of England, with 187.6 cash machines per 100,000 people. A popular holiday destination, Blackpool’s stash of cash machines might have something to do with the number of tourists who need quick access to cash for entertainment.
Meanwhile, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine ranks as the worst constituency in Scotland (44 ATMS per 100,000 people), having lost 34% of its cash machines since 2019. Hexham comes top in the North East of England (48.4), where nearly two in three local banks closed between 2015 and 2023. Its Labor candidate Joe Morris commented: “It’s clear that loss of bank branches is a cause of real concern in communities across the Tyne Valley and out further into Northumberland.”
Harrow East Ranks as Worst London Constituency to Find an ATM
After Cities of London and Westminster, Holborn and St Pancras is the next-best London constituency for access to cash machines, boasting 169.8 ATMs per 100,000 people. Nearby to major tourist attractions and home to a significant transport hub, it’s likely that cash machines in this area are invaluable to tourists and people making journeys across the country.
In contrast, Harrow East is the London constituency with the fewest (28.8) ATMs per 100,000 people, having hit the headlines in recent years thanks to a sharp decline in the availability of local cash machines. The fourth-worst constituency is Twickenham (44.2), the centre of which became a “banking desert” in 2023 after several brick-and-mortar banks closed up shop.
Forecasting When Different Areas Across London Are Expected To Go Cashless
We used the total number of ATMs by parliamentary constituency in London to create forecasting models for each constituency to determine when each area will become cashless sooner:
| London Parliamentary Constituency | Completely Cashless By |
|---|---|
| Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner | June 2026 |
| Islington South and Finsbury | November 2029 |
| Chelsea and Fulham | September 2030 |
| Cities of London and Westminster | October 2030 |
| Chingford and Woodford Green | December 2031 |
| Brent Central | January 2032 |
| Holborn and St Pancras | February 2032 |
| Harrow East | May 2032 |
| Leyton and Wanstead | October 2032 |
| Finchley and Golders Green | December 2032 |
| Vauxhall | December 2032 |
| Kingston and Surbiton | March 2033 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | April 2033 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | May 2033 |
| Westminster North | June 2033 |
| Feltham and Heston | September 2033 |
| Wimbledon | October 2033 |
| Hornsey and Wood Green | March 2034 |
| Putney | June 2034 |
| Lewisham East | October 2034 |
| Edmonton | June 2035 |
| Orpington | August 2035 |
| Islington North | October 2035 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | February 2036 |
| Dulwich and West Norwood | April 2036 |
| Hampstead and Kilburn | April 2036 |
| Old Bexley and Sidcup | April 2036 |
| Beckenham | May 2036 |
| Ealing Central and Acton | June 2036 |
| Enfield, Southgate | November 2036 |
| Bermondsey and Old Southwark | November 2036 |
| Hendon | March 2037 |
| Tooting | September 2037 |
| Harrow West | June 2038 |
| Sutton and Cheam | August 2038 |
| Hornchurch and Upminster | October 2038 |
| Tottenham | October 2038 |
| East Ham | January 2039 |
| Camberwell and Peckham | January 2039 |
| Walthamstow | February 2039 |
| Greenwich and Woolwich | May 2039 |
| Mitcham and Morden | July 2039 |
| Croydon North | December 2039 |
| Brentford and Isleworth | December 2039 |
| Ilford North | December 2039 |
| Chipping Barnet | February 2040 |
| Ealing, Southall | June 2040 |
| Barking | June 2040 |
| Bromley and Chislehurst | July 2040 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | April 2041 |
| Croydon Central | November 2041 |
| Erith and Thamesmead | January 2042 |
| Ealing North | May 2042 |
| Dagenham and Rainham | July 2042 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | March 2043 |
| Battersea | June 2044 |
| Hayes and Harlington | April 2049 |
| Richmond Park | January 2051 |
| Carshalton and Wallington | April 2052 |
| Eltham | November 2055 |
| Enfield North | Later than 2074 |
| Ilford South | Later than 2074 |
| Kensington | Later than 2074 |
| Hammersmith | Later than 2074 |
| Bexleyheath and Crayford | Later than 2074 |
| Brent North | Later than 2074 |
| Croydon South | Later than 2074 |
| Streatham | Later than 2074 |
| West Ham | Later than 2074 |
| Uxbridge and South Ruislip | Later than 2074 |
| Twickenham | Later than 2074 |
| Lewisham West and Penge | Later than 2074 |
| Romford | Later than 2074 |
The Future of Cash Machines
As the UK transitions to new ways of paying, the number of cash machines across the country is dwindling; indeed, the UK lost 5% of its cash machines between 2022 and 2023, a trend that LINK predicts will only continue. For those who can’t remember the last time they had to withdraw cash, this won’t be a big deal — but it’s a cause of concern for the millions of others who have to use or prefer to use cash in their day-to-day life, considering that brick-and-mortar banks are also disappearing from high streets up and down the country.
The good news is that in 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority was empowered by the government to propose new rules for banks and building societies to maintain access to free cash machines. The government commented that this would guarantee that 95% of people in the UK would have to travel no further than three miles to withdraw cash.
Methodology
We retrieved the latest count of free-to-use, pay-to-use and counter-access ATMs for each parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom from LINK’s Monthly ATM Report. We then compared the total number of ATMs to each area’s population size (per 100,000 people).
For any parliamentary constituencies that sit within a city, we also measured the combined number of ATMs vs the city’s population.
Figures on the number of ATMs are the latest available count for December 2023 at the time of the analysis. Population counts for constituencies are 2021 estimates published by Parliament in 2024.
Any locations with ties on the number of ATMs per 100,000 people were separated by the total number of ATMs.
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