Major banks have announced the closure of more than a dozen branches in Kent this year – including the loss of six NatWests which have recently been announced. In the past few weeks, NatWest has said it is shutting 47 branches nationwide, Halifax is closing 22 banks, and Lloyds 21.
Bank of Scotland also said it was shutting 10 branches, and RBS one branch. Six of those 101 closures are of banks in Kent – the NatWest branches in Dover, Gravesend, Larkfield, Paddock Wood, Rainham, and Ramsgate.
They come on top of eight other closures that had already been announced. Of those, four banks shut earlier this year, while the Lloyds on Market Square, Dover, was scheduled to close on Thursday (April 11), and the Halifax in Herne Bay, and Barclays branches in Ramsgate and Greenhithe are all due to shut later this month.
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That means 14 banks will be lost to Kent high streets by the end of the year, with the closure of one of them – the NatWest in Larkfield – leaving the surrounding community with no branches of any bank remaining. And since February 2022, Kent will have lost 38 banks.
You can see which banks are closing or have closed in your area this year using our interactive map below:
Nationally, 346 banks either have already closed or will close this year – the equivalent of nearly one per day – with another six banks scheduled to shut in 2025 and the final closure date of 15 banks yet to be confirmed. Announcing the latest closures on its website, NatWest said: “Banking has changed dramatically in recent years, with an increased demand for mobile and online services, as our customers benefit from a faster and easier way to bank.
“Closing a branch is a decision we take very seriously. We know it can affect those less confident with alternatives we offer.
“We’ll always work hard to guide and support you through the changes and find the best way to serve you from now on.” Halifax – owned by the Lloyds Banking Group that also includes Lloyds – said: “When making changes to our branch network, we always look to understand the impact on our customers – including how they continue to access banking services.
“Because of this, we may sometimes have a Community Banker visit the area after the branch closes. Or as part of an independent review, a Banking Hub may be set up in a nearby location.”
Since February 2022 – when a voluntary agreement saw the major banking groups commit to assessing the impact of every closure – 1,426 banks have either shut or announced their intention to close. Around a quarter of those closures (387, or 27 per cent) have left the surrounding community with no branch of any bank nearby.
The LINK initiative to assess the impact of closures – which was agreed by all the major banks including Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds, and Halifax – was set up to ensure vulnerable customers and small businesses were not left behind in the switch to cashless payments and virtual banking. When closures leave communities without any local bank, banking hubs or free ATMs are set up to fill the gap.
The charity Age Concern however, has hit out at the “continuing avalanche of bank branch closures” which means there will be “considerably fewer opportunities for face-to-face banking than there were even just a couple of years ago”. Research carried out by the charity found that four million older people with a bank account do not manage their finances online and are “at a high risk of digital exclusion”.
Charity director Caroline Abrahams added: “The disappearance of face-to-face banking risks cutting a significant minority of the older population out of an essential service, making it difficult if not impossible for them to manage their money and maintain their independence.” Nick Quin, head of financial Inclusion at LINK, said: “Shared banking hubs are opening on high streets across the country to protect access to cash and other banking services.
“Just last week LINK announced three new banking hubs, meaning a total of 120 communities are now set to benefit from shared hubs with many more to come. LINK assesses all communities following a bank branch closure and if additional services are needed, we can recommend a banking hub, deposit services and of course a free cash machine.
“LINK’s cash locator is also a helpful tool to help you find your nearest free to use cash machine and Post Office.” Two new banking hubs, in Porthcawl, Bridgend, and Oakham, Rutland, have opened this week, meaning there are now 45 hubs across the country.
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