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Lloyds Banking Group closes 48 additional Lloyds and Halifax bank branches across England and Wales.
A total of 41 Lloyds Bank branches and seven Halifax branches will be permanently closed, with the lender claiming affected customers still have access to cash “within a third of a mile”.
All 48 bank branches will be closed next year. Affected locations include Balham, Christchurch, Dorking, Prescot, Sevenoaks and Windsor.
Unite Union claims around 178 jobs at Lloyds Banking Group could be affected.
Other Closures: Lloyds Banking Group has announced that it will close 48 additional Lloyds and Halifax bank branches across England and Wales
The group closed 56 stores between March and April this year, and 44 closed between September and November. The 48 stores announced today will close between January and April 2022.
Vim Maru, Retail Director of Lloyds Banking Group, said: ‘As with many other companies, we have seen fewer customers in our branches in recent years and this decline is continuing.
“Our branches are still an integral part of our customer service, but we need to make sure that the size of our branch network reflects the number of customers who want to use them.”
According to the lender, all closed branches have “significantly fewer customers who use them regularly” over time.
It added, “This means that, like all banks, the group must continue to prepare for a future in which most customers will have to stop by in person less regularly.
“For some services, face-to-face presence is the best option, which is why the group also operates a specialized home hub for homebuyers, flagship locations in three major cities and a new network of community bankers to support them.” their communities. ‘
Going: 41 Lloyds Bank branches and seven Halifax branches will be closed in 2022
The lender stated that it had around 25 million customers, of which 18 million were “active” users of digital banking and over 13 million were “normal” users of mobile apps.
To ensure customers who need personal help with their banking operations continue to receive it, Lloyds Banking Group said:to explore a new community banker program with a number of cities in the UK.
It added: ‘One day a week a community banker will be in a city center (e.g. inquiries. Community bankers are currently visiting 8 locations. ‘
Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite, said: ‘Lloyds Banking Group’s announcement that it will close another 48 bank branches is an utter betrayal of the communities and employees who have long supported this highly profitable business.
“This industry needs to start taking its corporate social responsibility seriously and stop neglecting its obligations to its customers and employees.
“Banks are leaving people rushing to shut down branches and forcing consumers to go cashless to grow their mega-profits. It’s a classic example of putting profits before people. ‘
Unite said the banking industry should legally commit to protecting access to cash and bank branches.
In September, Virgin Money announced it would close 31 bank branches and cut around 112 jobs to move more of its business online.
Among other things, the Virgin Money branches in Beverley, Blackburn, Lincoln, Macclesfield, Nuneaton, Whitby and Wick are to be closed.
Bosses said the move comes as more customers switched to online banking during the pandemic.
In March, Santander announced that it would close 111 stores across the country by the end of August this year.
The Spanish-owned lender said the “majority” of the deleted branches were less than five kilometers from another Santander branch, with the furthest eight kilometers away.
All 111 branches closing were within half a mile of at least two free ATMs.
Offices in New Malden, Marlow, Leatherhead, Sale, Surbiton, Twickenham and Wickford were just a few of the canceled lines.
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