Local council leisure centres in the UK county of Cornwall have attracted criticism after some of its attractions have gone cashless, Cornwall Live has reported.
Non-profit Greenwich Leisure has a multi-million pound contract with Cornwall Council and it has introduced a cash ban at two of the centres it runs in Helston and Launceston, with more planned. The private company has also opened the Newquay Trampoline and Play Park as a cashless venture.
GLL has stated that users will not be refused entry, but they will be informed that on subsequent visits, they will not be able use cash.
Critics, however, claim that ditching cash will hit the vulnerable in society the hardest and have quoted the Access to Cash Review 2019, which calls on the government, regulators and banks to act or risk leaving millions behind. The review concludes that digital payments don’t yet work for everyone and around eight million adults (17 per cent of the population) would struggle to cope in a cashless society.
A spokesperson for Greenwich Leisure said it had given several weeks' notice of the changes, consulted Cornwall Council and discussed them with staff and users.
It said that before moving to a cashless operation, it researched the number of cash transactions being made in its centres and, proportionally, the number was tiny. The statement went on to say that cashless is safer, easier and in line with current trends.
