A DECISION to close Yorkshire Bank in Barnoldswick will stand despite an effort to convince bosses to ‘think again’.

Representatives of Barnoldswick Town Council met with Yorkshire Bank area manager Ian Walkden to press for the bank’s Barnoldswick branch, at 2 Newtown, to be kept open.

Town councillors asked that the bank’s directors ‘think again’ about the closure in the town, and a petition opposing the closure with over 1,000 signatures was presented.

The Barnoldswick branch, earmarked for closure on May 5, is one of 39 branches that Yorkshire Bank is closing in 2017.

“We put forward several strong reasons why the Barnoldswick branch should remain open,” said Cllr David Whipp. “The impact on the bank’s customers – particularly businesses needing to deposit cash, the wider impact on the vitality and viability of the town centre as a whole, the fact that the branch is the busiest bank in Barnoldswick and finally with our town being an outpost of occupied Yorkshire, the bank should live up to its name and continue to support our White Rose town.

“Mr Walkden agreed to pass these concerns to the bank’s directors, but made it clear that the decision was irrevocable.

“We then asked what the bank would do to help their customers if and when the branch closes next month.

“We got a commitment from Yorkshire Bank to them running sessions to help people make use of phone and internet banking, and also on developing cashless systems in business settings or schools. The town council agreed to host these sessions at the Civic Hall and we’re hopeful they can be held before the bank’s closure.

“I presented our ‘Keep Our Bank’ petition to Mr Walkden. This had well over a thousand signatures from paper and online versions. Most of the signatures were from loyal customers living in the area, but also included customers from as far away as Canada.

“I’m very disappointed that Yorkshire Bank is abandoning the Barnoldswick branch, but appreciate they have little or no scope to change this decision. I hope the sessions for both personal and business bank customers will help with new arrangements.”

When the closures were announced in January, a spokesman for Yorkshire Bank said 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.

The spokesman added: "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."