Farron celebrates at news that cheques are saved!

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed this weeks announcement by the Payments Council that cheques will continue to be used for as long as customers need them. The target for possible closure of cheque clearing in 2018 has also been scrapped after a campaign run in the South Lakes.

Residents and businesses from across our area signed a petition to Save Our Cheques earlier this year. Tim has sent 50,000 Save the Cheque petitions to people throughout Westmorland and has secured over 2000 signatures from local people.

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 inBritainby 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. A survey by Saga found that 76% of over-50s disagreed with the industry's attempts to get rid of cheques. Tim has fought these plans every step of the way and recently asked the government to put pressure on the banks to look again at the plans.

Tim said: "I am absolutely delighted that the Payments Council has listened to what people have been saying. Getting rid of cheques would have caused a great deal of inconvenience to small businesses, charities and many of the most vulnerable people in Northumberland and I am very pleased their voices have been heard."