A TOWN council chairman hopes a Bradford district bank branch can be saved from closure.
NatWest has confirmed it is closing 43 bank branches across the UK - including two in the Bradford district - in Shipley and Ilkley – in the latest move to transition its banking services online.
The Shipley branch, in Market Street, will close its doors for the final time to customers on February 23, 2023.
Mike Connors, chair of Shipley Town Council, says the group plans to contact NatWest in a bid to persuade them to change their decision on the town’s branch.
He said: “It is disappointing to hear of the decision to close the branch in February 2023.
We will try to contact the bank and try to persuade them to have a change of heart and keep the bank open
“They are missing an opportunity in Shipley with the £25m towns fund. The transformation of the Market Square in Shipley will increase footfall in Shipley.
“We at the Town Council are about talking up Shipley, not talking it down.
“There are other remaining bank branches in Shipley including Halifax, Santander and HSBC. The town will still be served for banks.”
Following last Thursday’s announcement, NatWest released a document called the Shipley Branch Closure Factsheet.
It says on the Shipley branch comparing January 2019 and January 2022, counter transactions for personal customers have decreased by 45 per cent.
It added the Shipley branch was used by 20 personal customers on a regular basis in 2021.
A total of just six jobs are expected to be put at risk across the country as part of the closures, indicating most branch staff will be offered the opportunity to take up a role in a different branch or another part of the business.
A NatWest spokesperson said: “As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking because it is faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.
“We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation, and that when we close branches we have to make sure that no-one is left behind.
“We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.”
It is the latest blow to Shipley town centre after Wilko confirmed it is closing its branch in Kirkgate on November 26, 2022.
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