Barnoldswick branch of Yorkshire Bank set to close

The branch at 2 Newtown is to close on May 5, and another Yorkshire Bank branch in the nearby Lancashire town of Clitheroe is also set for closure on April 27.

Residents and councillors in Barnoldswick are "up in arms."

"It's absolutely outrageous that they're leaving everybody high and dry," said Barnoldswick councillor Jennifer Purcell. "For a town this size, we need a bank.

"Local people have been going barmy about this."

Gavin Opperman, customer banking director at Yorkshire Bank, said: "While the decision to close any branch is never an easy one, it is important that we, in line with other banks operating in the UK market, continue to respond to changes in the way customers want to bank with us. "The changes continue our journey towards a model that combines an enhanced digital platform with a right sized branch network; allowing customers to interact with us through a wide range of channels – mobile, online, telephone, in-branch – whenever and however they want."

Yorkshire Bank said that since 2011 the number of customers using their bank for day-to-day transactions across the banking industry in the UK had fallen by a third.

"I've been an account holder at Yorkshire Bank since I was at school," said Cllr Purcell. "This bank is part of our community and is a lifeline for many people."

Cllr Purcell is particularly concerned about the impact the bank's closure will have on the elderly and local business owners.

"They're telling people to go the Post Office or to do online banking," she said. "I don't trust online banking and think it's the biggest way to fraud. I like to go somewhere where I can see a face.

"Barnoldswick is off the beaten path, and all the outlying villages like Earby and Salterforth, have no banks. It's going to take people a good hour to get to the Nelson branch by bus.

"They're hurting small businesses when we're trying to keep afloat," added Cllr Purcell, who along with husband Harry owns Purcell's of Barnoldswick. "At 3pm, I don't to be bringing my takings to Nelson or the branch in Skipton. They're a disgrace to customers and shouldn't be treating people like this."

A spokesman for Yorkshire Bank said: "The bank's first priority is to our customers and we will be working extensively with impacted customers, local communities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the transition to their new branch is as smooth and as sensitive as possible, particularly where vulnerable customers are concerned.

"It is also the bank's intention to try to find roles for frontline branch staff either within other branches or elsewhere in the bank, wherever possible. "However, there will inevitably be employee number reductions as a result of these changes. We anticipate that around 200 Yorkshire Bank staff will be at risk of redundancy and subject to our redeployment process. All employees affected by these changes will be fully supported through the process.."

Cllr David Whipp added: "Barnoldswick Town Council considered the proposed closure and has resolved to strongly object and is demanding a meeting with the bank in the hope that it could be kept open."