Details of the face to face service available to customers of Barclays following the Lancaster branch closure next month have been revealed.
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Lancaster high street branch of Barclays bank to close
The bank say they will provide a face to face service at the Royal Kings Arms Hotel, six days a week, from Monday April 29, after the branch closes on April 25.
The service at the venue on Market Street will operate Monday-Friday 10am - 4.30pm, and Saturdays 11am – 4:30pm (apart from 1:30-2pm).
The new service will be offering face to face financial support and education for customers, without the need to travel, including assistance with everyday finances and money management, free digital skills workshops and fraud and scams awareness events for the community.
As the replacement service is a cashless site, everyday banking transactions, including cash deposits and withdrawals, will need to be completed at a local Post Office.
Lancaster MP, Cat Smith said although she welcomed the new service, it didn’t go far enough.
‘’It is clear that this is not an adequate replacement for a proper branch,’’ she said.
‘’Anyone who uses a Post Office regularly knows that this can be easier said than done, as the Post Office is increasingly being relied upon to plug the gap when services like these disappear from our high streets, making their branches ever busier while, at the same time, many of these branches are themselves being closed or cut back.
‘’While I am disappointed, regrettably I am not surprised. The number of bank and building society branches in the UK is now less than half what it was in 2015, with Barclays closing the most branches.
‘’While the banking lobby argues that cash is now ‘only’ used for 14% of all payments so is increasingly unimportant, but this still represents a significant amount of money changing hands and a great many people relying on cash to go about their daily life. While everyday banking practices have undoubtedly changed, I remain of the belief that physical bank branches have an important role to play in our communities.’’
‘’I will continue to speak out to defend our local services at every opportunity and I am grateful to everyone who got in touch to support me on this.’’
A spokesperson for Barclays said: ‘’ “Barclays is committed to deploying a range of more flexible ways that customers can physically interact with the bank.
‘’This now includes over 330 pop-up banking sites located in town and city centres in spaces such as community centres, libraries, and business hubs where it offers drop in and pre-booked appointments.”
The Morecambe branch of Barclays closed in 2020 and the Lancaster University branch shut in 2021.
The Carnforth branch shut in 2022, with Barclays instead opening a limited service at the Royal Station Hotel in the town after huge public opposition.
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