Cash has benefits, say Wiltshire small businesses

Some small business owners in Wiltshire have said trading in cash has benefits – after the government said that, for now, firms will not be forced to accept it.

Bradley Buechel runs a coffee shop in Chippenham and said they had plenty of people wanting to pay in cash: “It’s perfectly fine for us. We encourage it.”

There are concerns that not being able to pay in cash will affect vulnerable people.

A Treasury Committee report this week stopped short of recommending a change in the law to force businesses to accept cash, but said the government had to improve its monitoring of the issue.

Mr Buechel runs the Nest coffee shop in Chippenham, as well as a tyre business in nearby Melksham: “Cash is actually better because there is no transactional fee. On card you have to pay a processing fee and you have to wait.”

“I think it’s good for society with cash. There is a huge demand for it.”

One issue for small businesses, however, is having to deposit the cash at a bank, when many branches are disappearing from towns.

Becky Lyons owns the Pawesome Pet Shop and said card use could vary depending on the time of the month, but generally paying by card was most popular.

However, she said people were noticing that you need cash for when electronics go down.

“I’ll accept any legal tender – I’m not going to tell people how to pay for their goods,” she added.

Richard Tidmarsh runs a recruitment agency and dog-walking business – he said the use of cash was “very minimal” and mostly for the dog walking.

“We’ve got systems in place that can cover both. It will always be useful.”

Susan and Wayne Thirwell are Chippenham local residents and shoppers – both say they very rarely use cash.

When they do, it is usually for taxis.

“If I give any tips, then cash. Convenience-wise it’s great,” Susan said, mentioning cash is good for budgeting.

The Treasury Committee report, published on Wednesday, called on the government to “vastly improve” monitoring and reporting of cash acceptance levels.

Otherwise, it warned, people risked being excluded – for example, from leisure centres, theatres or public transport.

“There may come a time in the future where it becomes necessary for HM Treasury to mandate cash acceptance if appropriate safeguards have not been implemented for those who need physical cash,” the report said.