Full list of Shropshire banks to shut this year as more closures are announced
Yet more banks will be shutting their doors in Shropshire over the coming months after Lloyds Banking Group announced its latest round of closures.
The group announced on Tuesday that another 66 Lloyds and Halifax branches will close in the coming months, including those in Cleobury Mortimer and Whitchurch. In a statement the group said that visits to some branches have fallen by 85 per cent.
It means there are now nine branches set to close across Shropshire and Mid Wales over the next six months, on top of the two which shut earlier this year.
Banking groups have announced a series of sweeping cuts to its branches in recent months; Lloyds announced 60 closures in March, the same month HSBC said it was shutting 69 branches.
Lloyds Banking Group said visits to the latest 66 branches due to close have fallen by 60 per cent on average in the past five years, however the news has been described as a body blow to the towns affected.
A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson said: “Our customers have more choice than ever in how they bank with us. As our customers do more online, visits to some branches have fallen by as much as 85 per cent over the last five years.
"Alongside our digital, online and telephone services, we'll continue to invest in our branches, but they need to be in the right places, where they're well-used.”
"It is terrible news for the community and for the staff who work at the branch," said Neil Tysall, vice-chair of Cleobury Mortimer Town Council.
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan said the closure of the Halifax in Whitchurch was disappointing", adding: "“It’s really important that banks put plans in place to help those affected both in the short and long term.
"I will be speaking to Halifax and Barclays to stress the importance of this and will make it clear that only providing temporary on-the-ground support is not good enough."
With 11 branches closing across Shropshire and Mid Wales during 2022 and into early 2023, it will leave towns such as Wem and Welshpool without a permanent bank, while Whitchurch and Market Drayton will finish the year with three banks between them.
The upcoming bank closures are:
Lloyds, Shrewsbury (Mount Pleasant) - July 28 2022
Barclays, Bridgnorth - August 26 2022
Barclays, Ludlow - August 26 2022
Barclays, Welshpool - September 16 2022
Barclays, Market Drayton - October 6 2022
Halifax, Whitchurch - November 17 2022
Lloyds, Cleobury Mortimer - January 12 2023
Lloyds, Llandrindod Wells - January 16 2023
Lloyds, Welshpool - January 23 2023
As well as these, the TSB branch in Shrewsbury's High Street and Barclays in Newtown both closed last month.
