Residents have been issued important advice as the controversial closure of a town’s last High Street bank looms.
Lloyds Bank will close the doors of its Marlborough High Street branch for the final time on November 25 after announcing a cull of 176 sites across the UK in March.
The decision will leave Marlborough High Street without a dedicated bank, following the departure of HSBC in 2017 and Barclays in 2021.
Building society Nationwide will continue to operate following a refurbishment this summer.
With the closure looming, the banking chain has issued advice to its customers who will be left without a physical bank branch on the High Street.
In the weeks leading up to the bank shutting, branch staff will be on-hand to offer support and guidance on the ways customers can continue to bank with Lloyds.
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From November 25 onwards, a Community Banker will visit the area and continue to offer face-to-face targeted support for as long as the community needs it, the chain added.
Lloyds says it will be holding discussions with local stakeholders to determine where this Community Banker will be based and when they visit.
The nearby post office will also offer banking services, access to cash, paying in of cheques, and more, while the nearest free-to-use ATM will remain a short walk away.
Lloyds customers can continue to use other Lloyds Bank branches around Wiltshire while the chain also offers a range of mobile banking options.
Lloyds Bank says the decision to close the Marlborough branch was made because four in five of the site’s customers already use online or other methods of banking.
A spokesperson added: “As many customers now choose to bank through their mobile app or online, visits to our Marlborough branch have fallen over recent years.
“The local Post Office offers everyday banking, with cash also available at close by free-to-use ATMs.
“Customers can also manage their money through our mobile banking apps, online, by calling us or speaking to a Community Banker.”
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Despite this, the announcement in March was met with anger and “disgust” by some residents.
At the time, Andrew Enright said: “Banks are still needed. Not everyone banks online, or uses cards, and some people like using cash which they would rather withdraw from a cashier and not a cash point.”
Jen Bell added: “I think it is absolutely disgusting.
“A lot of the older generation don’t use mobile phones and don’t know how to do mobile banking, some of them just don’t want that.”
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