We went out to count the number of cash points in different parts of Sheffield - and the results might surprise you

With research showing that poorer areas have been hit hardest by a steep decline in free-to-use cash points, we sent reporter Gita Juniku out to a number of different areas in the city to see how Sheffield compares.
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Recent research from Which? has shown that free-to-use cash machines are being lost across the country, finding that the most deprived areas were losing access to their cash from cash points at a faster rate.

They found that since January 2018, almost 8,700 free-to-use cash machines in the UK have closed or started charging fees; and the most deprived areas not only lost more machines – 979 – but also lost a higher proportion of their cash point network, with 5.7 per cent of machines closing.

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Gita went out to a number of busy roads in Sheffield to compare and contrast the number of cash points, and here is what she found:

Do you think Sheffield has enough cash points?Do you think Sheffield has enough cash points?
Do you think Sheffield has enough cash points?

Ecclesall Road alone has three ATMs, Sharrow Vale which is just around the corner has two and a half.

“I say half because the post office can also works as a cash point because they do cash back for free.

“The Wicker high street has one, Burngreave High street also has only one but charges £1.30 to use.

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Ecclesall Road has at least three cash pointsEcclesall Road has at least three cash points
Ecclesall Road has at least three cash points

“Pitsmoor has one but is quite out of the way on Kirton Road. There is another in Grimesthorpe and Page Hall has two but each cash point is about 20 minutes walk apart.

“So, what does this mean? There is an obvious difference between these two areas - a small difference but a difference nonetheless.

“Sheffield is one of the most diverse cities in the country with 19 per cent of the population being from Black or Ethnic minority background.

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“I think it would be foolish to ignore that the majority of the poorer parts of Sheffield are inhabited mostly by the most unrepresented; ethnic minorities and low income families.

“Burngreave High Street of Spital Hill is a cultural melting pot of cafes and restaurants but only has one ATM available...and it charges.

“A parallel of this is Ecclesall Road. It is true that Ecclesall covers more ground than Burngreave High street but Spital Hill is open for longer and later.

“Pitsmoor is large residential area but is also grossly under-resourced with almost no shops or ATMs available.

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“Sharrow Vale and Ecclesall is also a gathering place for students and young people as Hallam University buildings are right across the road.

“I feel this contributes to the buzz of the place and the use of more cards than cash.

“Perhaps, it’s a millennial thing? We young folk don’t tend to take out cash as much as we used to thanks for contactless payments we can make with our little plastic cards - and these businesses know it.

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“Some Sheffield businesses such as Cutlery Works in Kelham Island and the FlyDSA arena have even gone cashless, leaving customers with no choice but to use their cards.

“There is something to be said about the lack of ATM machines in the poorer parts of Sheffield. Why is that? What benefits or downfalls would there be to the addition of more ATMs in these areas?”