Mark Todd

Mark is sending letters to convenience stores in his constituency asking for support for his campaign to increase the number of free-to-use machines there.
For the past year, Mark has been involved in campaigning for more free-to-use machines in South Derbyshire. He supported the Government's Financial Inclusion Scheme to install the machines in deprived areas by nominating a number of stores. One shop - Lifestyle Express in  Goseley Avenue, Hartshorne - was successful. But now he wants to see more widespread use of free-access machines. 
His research has shown that in South Derbyshire there are just nine locations - usually shops and convenience stores - where there are free-to-use machines.There are four post offices which house free-access machines. But there are 22 locations in the district where people have to pay to withdraw their money from a machine.
The average fee for a charging machine is around £1.50 to £1.75 per cash withdrawal which is split between the landlord, LINK member and leasing company.  For a free machine, 30p is received from the cardholder's bank or building society for each cash withdrawal and £0.17 for each balance enquiry.  This has to be split between the parties as well.  However Mark believes that if the machine is free-to-use it may attract substantially more business, especially if it is in a good prominent location and there are no other free-to-use machines nearby. 
For example, the machine at Lifestyle Express in Hartshorne now has as many as 1,300 users a month.
Mark is now sending letters to convenience stores in South Derbyshire to find out if there is any interest in installing free-to-use machines or switching from a fee-paying one which is possible even if there is a contract for a fee-paying machine.
He said: "I sit on the Treasury Select Committee which identified the increasing general trend to charge to get access to cash some time ago. Research showed the problem was particularly acute in poorer areas as they tend to have few outlets where a machine might be located and are often some way away from town centres where free machines are common.
"A free link machine isn't just a good thing in itself. It will often draw customers to a shop and boosts business. I'm writing to shopkeepers asking if they would consider either a new free machine or switching from a pay-machine. I can get the company that runs the network to visit, survey the site, and answer shopkeepers' questions."
Anyone who is interested in the campaign should contact Mark's constituency office on 01283 551573.

Peter Shanker, the owner of Lifestyle Express in Goseley Avenue, Hartshorne.  The number of people using the free-to-use machine is about 1,300 a month. Mark nominated the shop for the machine as part of the Financial Inclusion Scheme.