News / Shirehampton
Anger as last bank in Bristol suburb to close
Residents in a north Bristol suburb are being forced to change their banking habits as the last bank in the area is set to close.
The High Street in Shirehampton was once home to four banks. HSBC was the first to leave, followed by Co-op and then NatWest.
Lloyds was the last of them still standing and even survived having its cash machine blown up in 2015.
is needed now More than ever
But now the bank has announced it will close its Shirehampton branch on November 23 as part of a huge number of closures happening all over the country.
For local resident Kathryn Courtney, who has a disability which makes it difficult to travel, the closure is devastating.
Having waited two weeks to get a face-to-face appointment at the bank, that’s now been cancelled and the staff suggested she travel to the Westbury-on-Trym branch.
“Every time I go into the bank, nine times out of ten there’s a queue. Now I have nowhere to turn,” she said.
Lloyds Bank’s Shirehampton branch will close on November 23 as part of a huge number of closures happening all over the country – photo: Mary Milton
Lucy O’Brien feels Lloyds is letting down older customers, including her mother who has mobility issues.
She said: “My mum has been a loyal customer since way before I was born and this is how they get treated.
“She doesn’t do online banking as she’s way too old to figure that out. She also won’t be able to get the bus to Westbury and back, there’s one per hour and it’s very unreliable.”
The closure is also problematic for local businesses and groups. The Avonmouth Sea Cadets are a small registered charity who use the branch.
Chair Terri Booker said the closure will have a “huge impact” on the group and volunteers when it comes to their banking needs.
She explained: “When it comes to changing signatories on the accounts it can be quite a lengthy process and at times some very frustrating visits to the bank in-person [are required] to get to the bottom of what the hold-ups are.”
The bank is the latest of a number of businesses to leave the Shirehampton area. The fruit and veg shop, newsagent, solicitors, florist and gym have all left. The local taxi service still operates but no longer has a presence on the High Street.
Along with the Lloyds branch, customers will lose the cashpoint outside it. This leaves two cashpoints which allow free withdrawals, provided by the Co-op supermarket and petrol station. A third machine at a convenience store charges a fee.
A spokesperson for Lloyds Bank said: “As many customers now choose to bank online or through their mobile app, visits to our Bristol Shirehampton branch have fallen over recent years.
“When the branch closes in November, customers can continue to bank with us online, over the phone, in person at the Westbury-on-Trym branch, or at the local Post Office.”
Mary Milton is reporting on Shirehampton as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Mary Milton
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