Calls to rethink bank closures
A HIGH street bank will review its decision to remove a town’s only remaining 24-hour cashpoint, after a crunch meeting last week.
Communities across Anglesey were shocked earlier this month when NatWest announced that three of the island’s branches - Holyhead, Menai Bridge and Amlwch, are all set to close during 2017.
As a result, Rhun ap Iorwerth met with NatWest bosses on Friday, with a promise that a decision to remove Menai Bridge’s only 24-hour cashpoint would be reviewed.
“There’s is an obvious pattern here of banks - not just NatWest - pulling out of small towns, and banks need to remember that it’s their customers that allow them to make profits,” the AM told the Mail.
“I argued that they should conduct full assessments of the likely impact of branch closures before considering doing so - not after decisions are made.
“I sought assurances about maintaining levels of service, including services to businesses through the Post Office, and in terms of cash machines. They agreed to revisit the decision to close the Menai Bridge cashpoint as this would leave no other 24-hours cashpoint in the town centre.
“I feel for hardworking NatWest staff, I was assured that they hoped that there would be no compulsory redundancies.
“I asked, of course, for the bank to reconsider their deci- sions, but action must be taken somehow, by Governments and the industry itself, to protect financial services in places like Anglesey. We are rapidly losing them.”
Twrcelyn councillor Aled Morris Jones was also present at a meeting with NatWest bosses due to fears over the future of the Amlwch branch.
Cllr Morris Jones said: “We had a robust meeting on Friday with Cllrs William Hughes, Richard Owain Jones and representatives of Amlwch Town Council also present.
“We pushed the point of the importance of keeping the Amlwch branch open, but I’m afraid the NatWest representatives had come to the meeting with closed minds.
“We’ll have to take stock of their response, when it arrives, and consider how we can ensure a continued banking presence in Amlwch.”
A spokesman for NatWest said: “The way people choose to bank with us has changed radically over the last few years. Between 2010 and 2015, mobile and online transactions have increased by over 400% and mobile transactions alone have increased by 1,350%. As a result of this change, we have seen the number of tranactions in these branches decline since 2011. We are communicating with our customers affected by these closures and proactively contacting vulnerable and regular customers.”