Tuesday, November 5, 2024

High street banking giant reveals 55 more branches to shut for good – is YOUR local on the list?

Must read

A major bank has announced it will close another 55 branches in the latest blow to Britain’s high streets.

Lloyds Banking Group will shut branches from its Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Lloyds brands.

The closures will see 32 Halifax, 19 Lloyds and four Bank of Scotland locations close their doors for the final time next year.

The latest closures mean more than 270 branches run by the group will close this year and the next – 128 at Lloyds, 119 Halifax and 45 Bank of Scotland locations.

The majority of the closures will take place in England, but there will also be losses in Wales and Scotland, The Sun reports.

Lloyds Banking Group is set to close 55 branches across its brands next year in another blow to Britain’s high streets. Pictured: A Lloyds branch in Reading

Halifax is among the brands affected, with 32 of its branches closing their doors for good. Pictured: A file image of a Halifax branch

Halifax is among the brands affected, with 32 of its branches closing their doors for good. Pictured: A file image of a Halifax branch

Lloyds Banking Group said that staff working at these branches will be offered a role at another branch or in another part of the business. 

It added that all locations have alternative options for accessing cash nearby, such as a Post Office or free to use ATM.

A spokesperson said: ‘Mobile banking is more popular than ever, with over 19.5 million customers choosing our app to manage, maximise and understand more about their money. 

‘Alongside our app, customers can bank online, over the phone, at a Banking Hub, a Post Office or by speaking to one of our Community Bankers.’

It is the latest in a long line of bank departures from Britain’s high streets, which have seen thousands of branches leave in recent years.

Bosses have claimed that fewer people are using in-person services at branches, with the pivot to online banking, particularly among younger customers, the main reason.

Other big name banks, including Barclays, NatWest, TSB and Santander have also cut their branch numbers.

Earlier this year it was revealed that the number of branches that have closed their doors in the last nine years has surged past 6,000.

A survey by consumer group Which? found that more than 60 per cent of the UK’s branch network has closed since it began tracking the phenomenon in 2015.

It suggested that by the end of this year 33 parliamentary constituencies won’t have a single bank branch.

While the rate of closures had initially appeared to slow down since it reached a peak in 2017, researchers said in May that in ‘recent years there has been a troubling surge’.

Bank bosses have been accused of ‘engaging in a race to close branches’ after the Government announced plans in 2020 for laws to protect access to cash, which could make it harder to close a branch if alternative cash provision is lacking.

Since 2015 Barclays has closed 1,216 branches; while NatWest Group, which comprises NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, has closed 1,360 branches, Which? said.

At the time Lloyds Banking Group, had shut 1,146 sites, but this number is set to rise further following today’s announcement.

A spokesperson for trade association UK Finance said at the time: ‘An ever-increasing number of people are using telephone, mobile and internet banking and fewer people are visiting bank branches on a regular basis.

‘Balancing this change in the way we bank means firms have to make difficult decisions about maintaining their branches.

‘The industry has invested heavily in alternative services, including thousands of post offices where people can do a lot of their day-to-day banking.

‘Alongside this, the industry is working to roll out shared banking hubs to bring together different firms to support their customers.

‘There is also significant ongoing investment to ensure access to cash, including free ATMs and cashback without purchase. If you are concerned about your local bank branch closing, please contact them and they will help you find the best alternative for your needs.’

Latest Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branch closures

Lloyds

  • 391-393 Harehills Lane, Leeds LS9 6AP – January 8, 2025
  • 3 North Brink, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 1JT – January 22, 2025
  • 812 Osmaston Road, Allenton, Derby DE24 9AA – January 23, 2025
  • 64-66 Mill Street, Macclesfield SK11 6NH – January 28, 2025
  • 77 Shirley High St, Shirley, Southampton SO15 3TX – January 8, 2025
  • 11 Finkle Street, Kendal LA9 4AG – February 10, 2025
  • 38 High Street, Brecon LD3 7AR – February 11, 2025
  • 1 Claremont Road, Surbiton KT6 4QS – March 4, 2025
  • 20 Market Place, Dewsbury WF13 1DF – March 10, 2025
  • 1 Bancroft, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 1JQ – April 7, 2025
  • Exchange Square, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9HH – May 6, 2025
  • 27 Norwich Street, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 9AH – May 6, 2025
  • 11 Causeway Lane, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3AR – May 7, 2025
  • 18 Monnow Street, Monmouth NP25 3XH – May 8, 2025
  • 35 King Street, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2AX – May 13, 2025
  • 47 Station Road, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 6HU – May 13, 2025
  • 13 Bitterne Road, Bitterne, Southampton SO18 1DA – June 9, 2025
  • 52 Town Street, Armley, Leeds LS12 3AE – September 8, 2025

Halifax

  • 200 Edgware Road, London W2 2DW – January 6, 2025
  • 92-94 Church Street, Eccles M30 0DA – January 7, 2025
  • 6 Royalty Mall, Arndale Centre, Morecambe LA4 5DS – January 7, 2025
  • Duke Street, Wellington, Telford TF1 1BJ – January 7, 2025
  • 642 Prescot Road, Old Swan, Liverpool L13 5YS – January 8, 2025
  • 24 Market Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 1BG – January 8, 2025
  • 256/258 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London N13 5TU – January 9, 2025
  • 177B Stratford Road, Shirley, West Midlands B90 3AQ – January 9, 2025
  • 39 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1SQ – January 9, 2025
  • 32 Low Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 1DG – January 16, 2025
  • 129 High Street, Winchester SO23 9AX – January 20, 2025
  • 8 Commercial Road, Bulwell, Nottinghamshire NG6 8HA – January 21, 2025
  • 28 Market Place, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 1DQ – January 22, 2025
  • 7/11 Monnow Street, Monmouth NP25 3EF – January 23, 2025
  • 3 High Street, Walton-on-Thames KT12 1EA – January 27, 2025
  • 100 Bedford Street, North Shields NE29 6DD – January 28, 2025
  • 58 Station Road, Port Talbot SA13 1RD – January 29, 2025
  • 4/4A King Street, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2AP – February 4, 2025
  • 21/23 Highgate, Kendal LA9 4DA – February 10, 2025
  • 11 Church Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9BB – March 4, 2025
  • 7 Orchard Street, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7LG – March 10, 2025
  • 20/22 High Street, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3TG – March 11, 2025
  • 60/61 High Street, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 1DR – March 12, 2025
  • 8 Wheelgate, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 7HP – April 8, 2025
  • 49 Market Place, Chippenham SN15 3HU – April 15, 2025
  • 16 Northbrook Street, Newbury RG14 1DJ – April 16, 2025
  • 91 High Street, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 8QT – April 28, 2025
  • 6 Bailey Street, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1PS – April 28, 2025
  • 35 Orchard Walk, Halton Lea, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 2BS – April 29, 2025
  • 22 Market Street, Tamworth B79 7LR – April 29, 2025
  • 29 High Street, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 6XP – April 30, 2025
  • 400/402 Bitterne Road, Bitterne, Southampton SO18 5RS – June 9, 2025

Bank of Scotland 

  • Main Street, Golspie KW10 6RJ – February 4, 2025
  • 31 High Street, Montrose DD10 8LT – March 10, 2025
  • High Street, Langholm DG13 0JH – April 7, 2025
  • 60 High Street, Leven KY8 4NA – May 7, 2025

Source: The Sun

Latest article