50,000 people receive 'Save the Cheque' petition

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has stepped up his campaign to save the cheque by sending out a petition to 50,000 households in South Lakeland and Westmorland.

The Payments Council, an organisation comprised of all the major high street banks, made the decision last November to phase out the use of cheques in Britain by 2018, despite the fact that nearly four million cheques are issued each day. These plans would hit the elderly, disabled and housebound the hardest as well as affecting thousands of businesses and charity organisations.

Commenting today Tim said: "Plans made by the banks to eradicate the cheque are ridiculous and extremely unfair as it is clearly still an important means of paying for goods and services for many of Britain's most vulnerable people. It is important the government reminds banks that it is their duty to serve their customers not the other way around."