Make it unlawful for shops to refuse cash payments.
The Parliament petitions site records 33,499 signatures for this petition, which closed on 5 July 2022. The Government responded on 25 April 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 20 March 2023.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Make it unlawful for shops to refuse cash payments.
Make it illegal for retailers and services to decline cash payments.
Businesses small and large across the UK have discriminated on people that is cash to pay for goods. Not everyone wants a digital trail and others simply cannot pay by card.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 25 April 2022; the petitions site lists the HM Treasury as responsible. Its summary:
The government does not plan to mandate cash acceptance. Businesses are able to choose the forms of payment they accept. The government’s proposals for legislation support cash acceptance.
The opening 355 words of the 451-word response:
The government does not plan to mandate cash acceptance. While the government recognises the ability to transact in cash remains important to millions of people across the UK, particularly those in vulnerable groups, it remains the choice of individual businesses as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card. This may be based on factors such as customer preference and cost.
Nonetheless, the government wants to ensure that people, including those with characteristics of vulnerability, have appropriate access to banking services, which includes payment services. The government works closely together with regulators and stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors. Regarding cash specifically, the government engages closely with financial regulators, including through the Treasury-chaired Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor and assess trends relating to cash. In addition, all service providers are bound under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where necessary, in the way they deliver their services.
An important aspect of supporting cash acceptance by businesses is to ensure businesses have access to deposit facilities within reasonable distances. At Budget in March 2020 the government committed to legislate to protect access to cash in the UK. Following this, the government brought forward a consultation on Access to Cash in July 2021. The consultation sought views on legislative proposals to make sure people only need to travel reasonable distances to pay in or take out cash. The government's proposals support the continued use of cash in people's daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.
Following the government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services. This includes bank hubs. Last year, industry piloted new shared bank hubs in Rochford, Essex, and Cambuslang, Scotland. The hubs provide basic banking services including counter services run by the Post Office, and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 139, came from The Wrekin.
33,142 of the signatures were from the UK and 357 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| The Wrekin | 139 |
| Mole Valley | 137 |
| Hammersmith | 136 |
| Islington South and Finsbury | 135 |
| Brentwood and Ongar | 124 |
| Epsom and Ewell | 120 |
| Holborn and St Pancras | 119 |
| Esher and Walton | 113 |
| Woking | 111 |
| Hornchurch and Upminster | 107 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 5,588 |
| London | 5,084 |
| North West | 3,712 |
| East of England | 3,363 |
| South West | 3,028 |
| West Midlands | 2,430 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,392 |
| East Midlands | 1,970 |
| Scotland | 1,758 |
| Wales | 1,506 |
| North East | 1,130 |
| Northern Ireland | 816 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 20 March 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/605030.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
646c16c7e91b8541… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.