ANGER is brewing in Earby over news that the town's one and only bank is to close.

Barclays Bank is closing many of its smaller branches up and down the country and that includes the Earby branch - despite a recent and extensive refurbishment of the premises.

Letters have been sent out from the bank to its customers, advising them that the doors of the Earby branch will close from April 7.

The next closest Barclays branches are in Barnoldswick and Colne, but many of the bank's Earby customers have said they will close their accounts in protest.

All three Pendle councillors for Earby have hit out at the closure, saying it will hurt businesses and individuals alike.

Coun Doris Haigh said people in the town were "up in arms" at the decision, stressing that the closure of Earby's only bank would be a heavy blow to the vitality of the town.

"Surely with so many large employers and so many small and medium-sized businesses operating in Earby there must still be scope for at least one major bank to offer us a counter service," she said.

"For Earby customers of Barclays to receive a map showing the location of the Barclays branch in Barnoldswick, as we have done, is infuriating. Many people do not have access to, or do not wish to use, electronic or telephone banking services."

Fellow councillor Rosemary Carroll said she had arranged a meeting at the bank as soon as she heard the news, but was disappointed to be told there would be no U-turn on the decision.

Her main concerns were how the closure would affect elderly people in the town with Barclays accounts, and the effects it would have on existing business and the prospects of attracting new businesses to the area.

Coun Alison Brewer vowed she would close her 23-year account with Barclays. She described the closure as "disgusting" and "heartless", adding: "They say they are trying to improve services for customers. That is just a big laugh.

"What they are doing is a tragedy for the community and another nail in Earby's coffin."

In a last bid to reverse the closure decision, Coun Haigh is calling for Barclays management to meet with local councillors and business people. Meanwhile, petition forms are already circulating in the town.

In fact, the vast majority of people in Earby have money in the town's Barclays branch whether they know it or not. That is because Earby Parish Council has its accounts there and part of its money comes from the parish precept paid as part the council tax.

When the parish council met this week, members said they would have to look very closely at whether to continue banking with Barclays.

Many felt the parish council should close its accounts in protest at Barclays' decision.

"We need to stand up and be counted for the people of Earby," said Coun Pat Spensley.

A special meeting of the council's finance group will be called to look at all the options and in the meantime the parish council will write to Barclays expressing its extreme displeasure at the news.

Chairman Coun Vic Marsh asked how could the town hope to attract new businesses, with plans for a business park on land next to Wardle Storeys, when it didn't even have a bank?

Coun Gordon Wilkinson pointed out that neighbouring Barnoldswick wasn't that much bigger, with a population of around 10,000, but it had four banks.

A spokesman for Skipton Building Society confirmed there had been a rush of inquiries at its Earby branch since news of Barclays closure broke.

A large number of new accounts had been opened and the society was looking at ways in which it could help the people of Earby with their financial needs.

Meanwhile, moves are under way to resurrect a computer training centre in Earby after its sudden closure left local people shocked and surprised. The centre, next to the bus station on Victoria Road, was opened in 1996 by Lord Shuttleworth, chairman of the Rural Development Commission.

Since then it has trained hundreds of local people with new information technology skills, often helping them to find new careers.

The training centre was an idea born out of Pendle Council's Earby Go! programme, designed to breathe new life into Earby.

The programme was run by Earby Town Centre Regeneration Forum - a body made up of local councillors, residents, traders and business people.

Among the forum's projects was finding a way to bring the council's disused store and former mortuary back into community use, and the computer training centre was the outcome of that. It won funding from a variety of partners, including Pendle Council and the Rural Development Commission.

The contract for running the centre went to Enterprise Training, using money awarded to Pendle from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget.

Unfortunately, that funding dried up at the end of last year and Enterprise Training was faced with having to cease the training at Earby and quit the building.

But the first local people, and even Earby councillors, knew of the decision was when the centre shut and the equipment was moved out.

Earby councillor Doris Haigh said the first she knew was when newspaper reporters contacted her about the story.

"To find out about this only accidentally through the press is not acceptable," she said.

"It has done good work for the past four years in training and re-skilling local people for new sorts of work - which is exactly what we need."

Coun Haigh said she wanted answers from Pendle Council officers over how long they had known of the closure and why people weren't informed. She is also investigating other possibilities for resurrecting the training centre.

Its furniture has gone to an activity centre in Nelson and a voluntary project in Colne, while the computers and other IT equipment have gone to Enterprise Training's centre in Hyndburn. But Coun Haigh is adamant that, whatever the outcome, that computer equipment must come back to Earby.

"The equipment Enterprise have removed is not theirs to take," she said. "It belongs back in Earby and I am determined they will bring it back, even if we have to invoke the services of the police to make them do so."

That view was echoed on Tuesday by Earby Parish Council. Its members said even if the centre couldn't be revived, the equipment could be used at Earby Springfield Primary School or the New Road Community Centre.

Chairman Coun Vic Marsh said he had also contacted Pendle Council about the future use of the building if the training centre could not be revived.

He had asked that consideration be given to its use by the parish council, as its present accommodation had no disabled access and was unacceptable.

He added that the building could also be used as a tourist office to promote Earby.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.