Labour councillor Jonathan Simpson

SHOPS refusing to take cash are making it harder for people managing budgets amid the cost of living crisis, the Town  Hall was told on Monday.

Former mayor Jonathan Simpson, a Labour councillor in King’s Cross, said many retailers in the borough were now demanding card transactions only. This trend largely began during the Covid lockdowns to avoid contact points.

Cllr Simpson said:  “It excludes many people who don’t have access to bank accounts, either by being elderly, being nervous or being young. Cash is a lifeline for many of our residents enabling them to budget.”

He told an all-member meeting that he hoped the Town Hall could exert pressure on businesses to take coins and notes “to make sure we aren’t in a situation where people just can’t shop and they can’t budget – as that is clearly affecting many.”