MP urges Barclays to reverse decision to shut banks

A NORTH Yorkshire MP has written to the Chief Executive of Barclays about the decision to close branches of the bank in his rural constituency.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, is calling for the decisions to shut Grassington and Pateley Bridge branches to be reversed.

In his letter to Jes Stanley, the MP said the closure at Grassington was an “undesirable outcome for tourists and cash based businesses” while for Pateley Bridge he added: “It is concerning that the closure was announced without discussion with the local community about their assessment of the value of the service provided.”

The Pateley Bridge and Grassington branches are set to close on May 15 and May 24 of this year respectively, with residents facing 24-mile round trips to get to the nearest alternative branches in Skipton and Ripon.

Mr Smith also outlines that like in many of the regions’s rural communities, the population in Grassington and Pateley Bridge is elderly and they do not have readily available access to transport or online banking.

When Barclays announced the closures earlier this month it said it had the largest branch network on the UK high street, with 1,058 locations under its remit.

It added: “The size and shape of our branch network is dependent on how and why our customers use them and is therefore subject to change.

“Where we do take the difficult decision to close a branch, we work closely with the local community to understand their needs and whether there is an alternative solution we can provide.

“With customers visiting our branches less and less each year, we must constantly assess how and why our branches are used and make decisions based on that insight.”