Customers of Knaresborough’s Barclays have been written to informing them that their local branch will be shutting its doors in May.
Barclays, which already has restricted opening hours, say that many of their customers are now using other methods of banking include phone and mobile applications and that their customers will be able to use counter services at the Post Office.
Local councillor Ed Darling, who represents Knaresborough town centre, commented:
The news that Barclays is to leave Knaresborough is disappointing and it will leave our community and our town centre worse off. Over the last couple of years we have already seen the closures of three banks in our town centre and now to have a fourth leave will impact on services for residents and visitors.
I understand the point that we need to use facilities in order for them to be viable but I also think that banks should explore more effective partnership working models to diversify the services offered from their branches and appeal to a broader customer base. Many people have also commented to me about the limited opening hours of Barclays. It seem self-evident that if you open for fewer hours you will get fewer customers.
However, I want to reassure residents that I am already working with ATM providers LINK to look at how we can replace the ATMs that we have lost in the town centre in recent years. I remain hopeful that this can happen so that our community is not left without methods to access their money.
The fact that customers can instead use the Post Office is rather ironic as our town’s only Post Office often has queues trailing out the door and regularly has a queue forming before it even opens on a morning.
On learning of the news, I immediately wrote to Mr Steve Mullins, Barclay’s Community Banking Director for Yorkshire, to ask that he reconsiders the position of closing the branch.
Despite this setback my aim as the Councillor who represents the town centre area is to continue to work on bringing empty shops back in to use, to promote our brilliant and historic market and to bring in more tourists to buy from our trademark local shops.
Location of bank
Knaresborough, UK
Knaresborough’s branch is set to close on Friday 17 May 2019 and customers will receive the bank’s closing decision and they go in branch to ask any questions they may have regarding the closure.
Steve Teggin, President of Knaresborough Chamber, has also said there are plans to meet Barclays on Monday around the development.