‘I’m not travelling to get money out!’
After banking giant Santander revealed it is closing 111 branches across the country, Hayley Parker spoke to customers at the Newcastle branch, which is one of those said to be facing the axe
ANORTH Staffordshire bank is among 111 branches set to be axed by Santander. The Newcastle town centre branch is to close for good by the end of August, meaning the closest alternative will be in Hanley.
The closures also mean Santander will have just 452 outlets left in the UK. The Spanish lender has blamed the decision on changes in customer behaviour since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
It says all current and business account holders will be able to bank at one of 11,000 Post Office branches instead.
But shoppers outside the High Street branch were dismayed to hear the news, which they described as a ‘huge blow’ for the town.
Shirley Mcdermott, aged 59, from May Bank, said: “I’ll be taking my money out and going with another bank. I’m not travelling to get money out.”
Paul Anthony Floor, aged 74, from Newcastle, said: “That’s not very good customer service is it? Part of it’s trying to get people online as well, which is all right if you understand computers.
“I’m online, but it’s not very straightforward to be honest. Again, it’s a money-saving venture.”
Student Xin Jiang, aged 22, from Newcastle, added: “This branch is very useful. If it closed, I’d have to go to Stoke-on-trent, so I think it should remain.
Santander said staff would contact potentially vulnerable customers by phone to provide individual support in the next five months.
The closure programme will start on June 24.
Santander said branch transactions fell by 33 per cent in the two years before the pandemic, and declined by a further 50 per cent in 2020.
Meanwhile, mobile and online transactions have grown by 20 per cent, with almost two thirds of overall transactions now carried out digitally.
In a statement, the bank also revealed it is consolidating office sites into six main locations, with Milton Keynes set to become its new corporate head office this year.
Adam Bishop, of Santander, said: “Branch usage by customers has fallen considerably over recent years, so we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together.
“We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.
“We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible.”