Banks ‘cut services by stealth’ with some open just four hours a week

Rural areas hit hard as campaigners demand rethink so that customers can see people face to face

HIGH street banks are open for just four hours a week in some parts of the country, analysis has revealed.

In another blow to communities after thousands of branch closures, banks have cut opening hours so that customers cannot access key services.

Campaigners accused banks of reducing services “by stealth” after more than 700 branches closed for good last year. They urged banks to do more for their customers at a time when many have been enjoying higher profit margins because they are not passing on rising interest rates to savers.

The Sunday Telegraph analysed more than 4,000 high street banks, including

Barclays, Nationwide, RBS, HSBC and Natwest, among others. It did not include Santander.

The research found that, on average, bank branches are open for just 34 hours a week, before lunchtime closing hours are included. However, rural communities can expect an average of just 29.5 hours. In South Cambridgeshire, banks are open for an average of just 15 hours a week, or 2.5 hours a day.

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said: “High street banks closing branches or reducing their opening hours is a major problem in rural areas.

Many people in remote parts of the country – especially the elderly – rely on branches being open and available.

Natwest had the lowest opening hours, with banks open on average just 29.5 hours a week. It was followed by Barclays at 31.5 hours and Lloyds and Bank of Scotland at 32.5 hours.

Customers who rely on the Barclays in Manchester St Ann’s Square are the worst affected. The branch is open for just four hours a week. The government has said that it plans to legislate to protect the future of cash. However, much of the response has centred on communities that are being hit with bank or ATM closures, rather than restricted hours.

Sir Vince Cable, the former Liberal Democrat leader, said: “It is clearly part of a general withdrawal of customer services. This particular tactic is a stealthy way of closing down the network. They should be honest with the public instead of trying to tiptoe out of the back door.”

Baroness Ros Altmann, a former pensions minister, added: “Banks don’t seem to be working for customers’ interests. It would be good to see them treating their customers better.”

She also pointed out that many people are reluctant to bank online because of the surge in fraud in recent years.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “The scale of the bank branch cull over recent years has been extremely damaging for so many local communities.”