Written evidence submitted by the Heritage
and History Group
The following submission to the Treasury Committee
concerns the proposal to abolish payment by cheque.
We write on behalf of the Heritage and History
Group which is based in Penarth, south Wales. We arrange 12 events
each year, all of which require many transactions by cheque.
In an average year we receive 450-500 cheques
from members (most of whom are pensioners) to pay for attendance
at events, plus annual subscriptions to the Group. In turn, the
Group pays by cheque each month for one-off items including coach
hire, hire of hall or other venue for talks, fee to speaker, entrance
fee to destination(s) such as historic houses and gardens, and
catering services. Our annual expenditure is almost £8,000.
This modest amount may not be significant from
the point of view of HSBC (our bank), but it would make a lot
more work for all concerned if these transactions had to be made
in cash, as well as raising issues of security and safety. Electronic
transactions are not generally feasible for our purposes.
I am sure it will be understood that for a Group
such as ours, cheques are a very convenient and practical method
of payment. We strongly urge the Payments Council to reconsider
any proposal to abolish the use of cheques.
February 2010
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