Last two bank branches in Alnwick to close

The last two banks in a rural town will close next year.

Branches of both Lloyds and Halifax in Alnwick, Northumberland, will shut in January 2025.

An official at Alnwick Gardens, which runs a group for people over 55, said its members had expressed fears they would “no longer have access to their cash”.

A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group, which runs Lloyds and Halifax, said people in the region would be able to access their money in a variety of other ways.

Claire Mitchell at Alnwick Garden said there was a strong feeling among its group of over-55s that they were being “excluded from society”.

“The loss of more banks in Alnwick will have such a detrimental impact upon ageing residents,” she said.

Many preferred to use cash and some had a fear of digital devices due to concerns over being hacked or scams, she said.

Chris Hall, who runs a property maintenance firm which regularly operates in Alnwick, said the lack of banks in the town could cause businesses to “move out of town”.

Northumberland County Green councillor Martin Swinbank said the closure came as a “real shock” as there were still many in Alnwick who were unsure about, or unable to access, online banking.

He said he was seeking a meeting with Lloyds Banking Group about the plans.

A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson said there had been a drop in customers at the two branches and that people could bank at their local Post Office, as well as online and by phone.

They also said a new banking hub would be built in Alnwick for customers of the UK’s main banks, run by the Post Office, which would let people deposit and withdraw cash, as well as pay in cheques and check balances.