Burnley 'Bank of Dave' star to speak in Parliament (From This Is Lancashire)

Burnley 'Bank of Dave' star to speak in Parliament

1:30pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By Chris Adams

BURNLEY entrepreneur David Fishwick is set to give a speech in Parliament as he continues his battle to improve the nation’s banking culture.

The ‘Bank of Dave’ TV star has been invited to be the keynote speaker at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Economics, Money and Banking by its chair, Steve Baker MP on Tuesday.

And Mr Fishwick has also submitted evidence which he hopes will be used towards shaping a new finance bill.

The keen Claret has been lobbying Business Secretary Vince Cable to put an end to the ‘bonus culture’ he blames for current banking problems.

The self-made millionaire, who owns David Fishwick Minibus Sales, said: “This is a massive chance to discuss the industry and bring about proper change.

“We want small, community-focused banks to crop up in every town and city in the UK.

“It’s a massive deal to speak in Parliament and I know a lot of MPs will be attending and are keen to hear what we have to say.

“We’re also launching an e-petition calling for better regulations and I hope to nag some of the members and get them to sign that.”

Mr Fishwick, originally from Sabden, is currently touring the country in his ‘Battlebus’, visiting towns to see if he can generate support for schemes similar to his throughout Britain.

He said: “We started off in Burnley and now we’re in Middlesborough on our way up to Scotland.

“We have had very positive feedback about what we’re doing. We’ve had coverage from as far away as Russia and the Al-Jazeera news channel.

“People who rob banks go to prison, yet banks who rob people are allowed to benefit and that’s something we have to stop.”

His ‘bank’, Burnley Savings and Loans Limited, formed in September last year and offers low-interest loans to help small businesses, giving profits to charity.