Barclays bank announces closure of Hebden Bridge branch

Hebden Bridge will lose its branch of Barclays bank from April next year.
Barclays branch in Market Street, Hebden Bridge, will close next AprilBarclays branch in Market Street, Hebden Bridge, will close next April
Barclays branch in Market Street, Hebden Bridge, will close next April

Barclays has announced the branch will close on April 6, 2018.

Currently, it is open 9.30am until 3.30pm two days a week - Mondays and Wednesdays.

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The decision leaves Hebden Bridge with just one bank branch, Lloyds at Albert Street, which opens from 9.30am until 4.30pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

No jobs will be lost but the bank’s cashpoint will not be retained, said a Barclays spokeswoman, who said changing banking habits and a reduction in footfall has resulted in the secision to close the branch, in Market Street.

“The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices. At Barclays Hebden Bridge customer usage has continued to decline and 45 per cent of our customers now regularly use alternative branches, which is why we have taken the difficult decision to close it.”

The bank hopes availability of a Barclays branch at King Cross Road, Halifax, and access to its services, including undertaking everyday transactions, at Hebden Bridge Post Office in Holme Street, along with the bank’s digital channels, will help ease the transition for customers.

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Barclays did not take the decision to close any branch lightly and Barclays was committed to adhering to the UK Access to Banking Standard, she said.

All customers would receive a letter and the decision to close document, and posters would be displayed in branch, where colleagues would be on hand to assist customers with any concerns they may have.

Barclays would also be proactively engaging with local businesses and the wider community to discuss the alternative ways customers will be able to undertake their banking locally, before the branch closes on Friday, April 6, she said.

The bank was also looking to host sessions individually or in a group for any customer wishing to explore digital banking.

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Calder ward councillor Josh Fenton-Glynn said the decision was bad news for Barclays’ customers.

“It’s a real shame that businesses are choosing to do this. A similar thing happened in Elland and it is disappointing. Some people rely on branches and will vote with their feet,” he said.