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Villagers’ petition over bank closure
Tuesday 12th January 2010, 6:00PM GMT.
Hundreds of pensioners in a Shropshire village have signed a petition claiming their “lifeline” will be cut after Barclays confirmed they are closing the branch in just weeks.
The Barclays branch in Albrighton confirmed that they plan to pull out of the village by March, setting a date of March 26, leaving pensioners furious over claims that they will be left without a much-needed service.
Nearly 700 pensioners, residents and business people have banded together to try and persuade the bank to stay open – but bank bosses say they are not for turning and will close when it merges with the branch in Codsall.
The only bank left in the town after the closure will be Lloyds TSB.
Jack Morris from Albrighton, who started the petition, said: “We are concerned because there are a lot of pensioners in this village and some are very proud and they like to do their own business within the bank.
“A lot of people can’t get to Codsall because they are in wheelchairs or on mobility scooters and travelling to Telford costs us more money.
“We had quite a good response from people in the village and at least the bank will know how we feel.”
One pensioner, Miriam Brown, 75, said she has been with the bank for more than 30 years. She said: “By closing it they will cut off my lifeline to the bank.
“They didn’t consult us or ask us what we thought, they just decided to close.”
Michael Ward, Albrighton Parish Council clerk, said members have written to the bank in protest.
He said: “The parish council is dismayed at their decision to leave Albrighton.
“We wrote to the chief executive of Barclays and we have had a reply saying Albrighton is no longer in their plan for Shropshire.”
Patrick Richards, chairman of Albrighton Traders’ Association, said his members have also written to the high street bank.
But Martin Gush, Barclays retail area director for Shropshire, said they will not be reversing their decision.
He said: “The branch has seen consistently declining customer numbers which means it is not sustainable to keep open.”
By Jason Lavan
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Whatever makes the people of Albrighton think the Bank is there for them?
Those days, like Public Transport, have long since gone.
The Bank is there purely to make a huge profit, IT IS NOT there for your convenience.
I know its a bit of a nuisance but transfer your money to Lloyds TSB, problem solved.
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Two solutions for you:
1) Write to Richard Branson and try and encourage him to put his bank in your village – after all, he’s on the buying path again.
2) With all that local support, start your own Credit Union. Time for people to start taking control of their destiny, not government or big business.
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Village? Albrighton is a small town. If Barclays can’t cut it there, maybe they should give up?
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Transfer to Lloyds TSB, the more customers they attract the more likely they will stay in Albrighton. ‘Use it or lose it’ as the saying goes.
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