Anger as more bank branches axed
A UNION has attacked news of more bank branch closures as “inexcusable.”
Unite said a decision by Lloyds Banking Group to close another 28 branches threatened scores of job losses.
National officer Caren Evans said: “The branch closure announcement today that another profit-making financial institution is failing to consider the needs of consumers and staff beggars’ belief. This news is another example of a bank choosing to walk away from the communities who need access to banking.
“These closures will leave some customers more than 10 miles from their nearest bank branch. This is a betrayal of some of the most vulnerable, elderly and socially excluded in our communities who need local access to community banking.” Unite said over 5,000 bank and building society branches have closed since 2015.
Lloyds Banking Group said it will be closing 20 Lloyds Bank and eight Halifax branches between August and November this year. They include the Lloyds in Ashby and the Halifax in Coalville.
A statement said: “It remains true that online and mobile banking continue to grow, as branch usage falls.
“On average, visits to these 28 branches have dropped by 60% since 2016, while we now have 18.6 million regular online banking customers and over 15 million mobile app users. “It is important that we therefore continue to look at where our branches are best placed.”
It said each of the locations had a free-to-use ATM and a post office within one mile.