A petition calling on the government to pass a law that requires businesses to accept cash payment has gained more than 10,352 signatures at the time of writing.

At 10,000 signatures, the government is required to respond to the petition. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in parliament.

Stressing on the importance of “the right to pay for goods and services with cash”, the petition explained:  “This could include a legal framework that includes penalties for outlets that refuse cash payment and mandates the maintenance of local cash handling infrastructure by the banking sector.

“We believe this is an urgent matter of national security. It has been reported that both Sweden and Norway are reconsidering moving to a cashless society.”

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The petition goes on to warn of “total societal collapse” if a cashless society comes into existence, “arising from the collapse of digital payment networks or the underlying electrical power networks they depend on”.

“We believe that both systems could be vulnerable to cyberattacks by aggressors and solar storms of Carrington event magnitude,” it said.

Julia Bywater, of Bywater News in Dudley, West Midlands, told Better Retailing: “I agree with the petition. The old people of today [need this]. You try to encourage people to pay for their papers online through card payment, but people don’t always want to.”

Bywater added that cash is “important” for budgeting reasons too, as “a lot of people don’t actually know what they’re spending”.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” she said. “A few customers come in and want to pay for something and they haven’t got a card. I know we’re moving towards a cashless society, but people are still saving for things with change in a jar.”

Shital Patel, of Jimmy’s Store in Northampton, said: “It’s a really good idea. Cash is very important. People may feel safer in a cashless society, but some people can’t keep up with the technology. If card machines aren’t working, people go into a frenzy because they don’t have cash. It’s important to have it as a back-up.”

A government response is expected by Wednesday 18 December.

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