Last weekend, I watched people from across Honiton come together to celebrate the anniversary of the town receiving its Market Charter.

It was a pleasure to see Deputy Town Crier Caroline announce the 767th anniversary.

Next Tuesday 30th July will see Honiton Hot Pennies. It is one of those quirky local events that took root in communities across the West Country many years ago.

The tradition dates to the 13th Century, when very wealthy people threw hot coins onto the streets below to amuse themselves by watching desperate people try and collect them. Remote from the 21st Century you may think – or is it…

In recent years we’ve seen the steady erosion of banking on our high streets, as scores of branches have shut-up shop.

Banks argue that this is because people are shifting to online banking, which maybe so, but the additional truth is that it’s also about how they can rake in ever bigger profits.

The push to whittle away our in-person services has seen many towns left with just one branch in town.

Indeed, some towns like Axminster have seen every bank in town close while the big banks continue to make billions in profit.

This simply isn’t acceptable. These businesses don’t only have a duty to their shareholders; they should also be made to be respond to their customers and our communities. By closing local branches, they’re making it harder for us to manage our money – particularly for older people and others who struggle to get online.

The recent development of Community Banking Hubs, which offer limited banking services in places where there simply are not more banks, is of course welcome. I lobbied to get a hub in Axminster and know that the new hub in Sidmouth is helping to maintain access to cash there too.

However, these hubs don’t fully compensate us for a proper local branch. They don’t offer the full range of services and are not widespread enough to ensure everyone has a way to manage their money through a face-to-face service.

Some big banks are acting like the wealthy barons of medieval times who tossed hot pennies out of their windows. They expect us to be grateful for whatever they might spare us. We should be demanding better, and I will fight to ensure that they must provide a minimum level of service by keeping branches open across rural Devon.