Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has condemned announcements by Halifax that they plan to close their branch in Ilkley.
Staff at the Ilkley branch were told in a meeting this morning that plans are to close the branch in January 2024.
The MP warns the closures will “lead to significant disruption” for customers and urged the Lloyds Banking group to take more action to address the needs of their vulnerable customers.
The news comes after Mr Moore organised a roundtable with local banks in June to understand the scale of disruption caused by recent branch closures and to discuss the potential for a centralised “banking hub” for the community.
In response to the impending closures, Halifax have committed to providing a community banker in the local areas to support customers after the branches shut down.
Customers who regularly use the branch will receive a letter with details of alternative ways to bank.
Speaking about the closure of the Halifax branch in Ilkley and Lloyds Bank in Keighley, Robbie Moore MP said: "The closure of these branches will undoubtedly lead to significant disruption for many Lloyds and Halifax customers, particularly those who cannot use digital banking services or may rely on face-to-face contact. According to the banks’ own data, this is around 28% of customers using Halifax’s Ilkley branch and 22% of customers using the Lloyds branch in Keighley.
It is crucial that both Lloyds and Halifax address the needs of their vulnerable customers who depend on physical branches, which is why earlier this month I held a roundtable with banks from across our community, including Lloyds and Halifax, to discuss the merits of setting up a banking hub in our area similar to the hubs set up in Otley and Knaresborough.
Following today’s news, I have made contact with the banks, as well as Link, to ensure customers are supported and their access to physical cash is not negatively impacted. I will also continue pushing for the creation of a banking hub which will benefit customers of all banks, as well as enable more complex transactions to be carried out in person."