Barclays in Park Gate joins latest in a stream of high street bank branch closures

Barclays, in Botley Road, Park Gate, is the latest in a series of high street bank closures.

It announced that its last day will be on Friday, February 5.

A Barclays spokeswoman said: ‘The decision to close a branch is never an easy one. However, customers are increasingly using alternatives to branches to do their banking. As a result, we are seeing a sustained fall in branch visits across the UK.

‘This is reflected at the Park Gate branch where there has been a 30 per cent reduction in counter transactions in the two years to March 2020. In addition, almost nine tenths (89 per cent) of our customers at the branch are also using different ways to bank.

‘We will work with our customers and provide alternative options to ensure they can continue to manage their money and receive financial expertise when required.’

She said that fewer than 10 per cent of transactions now take place within a branch – and that only 19 customers regularly use this branch exclusively for their banking.

Other customers are using the Barclays app, telephone banking, online banking and video banking, she said, as well as completing transactions at the Post Office.

Ward councillor Sean Woodward said: ‘It is very sad to see steady closures of such local services but it is a reflection on the way people conduct their business in 2020.’

The nearest Barclays branch is in West Street in Fareham or Lower Northam Road, Hedge End.

Customers will receive a letter and the bank said it will be talking with local businesses and the wider community to discuss alternative ways of banking.

A virtual ‘tea and teach’ session will be held for customers wishing to learn about digital banking.

All staff have been offered alternative roles at the bank.

As previously reported in The News, many areas have been affected by bank branch closures in recent years.

Barclays closed its Stubbington branch in 2016, a few months after Natwest left the village. Lloyds Bank closed its Stubbington branch in October last year.

Lee-on-the-Solent no longer has a bank after HSBC closed.

Natwest closed its branches in Leigh Park and Portchester.

SEE ALSO: Lloyds announces closure of Portchester branch - but tells customers to use ATMs at two stores set to close

Emsworth also lost four banks in little over a year, with Barclays, Lloyds and Nationwide closing, leaving only NatWest.

Fareham also lost TSB, which closed in August. TSB said it is also closing its branches in Hayling Island, Petersfield and Winchester next year.

While the Lloyds Bank branch in The Square, Wickham, will close on November 3, and its branch in West Street, Portchester is also earmarked for closure, however this has been delayed.

Nationwide Building Society is closing its North End and Southsea branches on December 17.

Earlier this year, Halifax announced that its branch in Palmerston Road in Southsea is set to go as is its branch in Locks Heath – however these closures have been temporarily postponed.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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