Lloyds says it considers a number of factors being deciding to close a branch

Ashton-on-Ribble residents have reacted with dismay at Lloyds’ decision to close a local branch.

The Lane Ends bank and cash machines in Blackpool Road are to shut down by Wednesday 27 July.

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Tulketh councillor Matthew Brown said the bank was ‘vital for the community’.

Jackie Mulgrew posted in the Preston Past and Present group: “Lane Ends used to be a thriving little village and soon there will be nothing left.”

Ray Evans said: “I got the letter today also, have to go all the way to town now to deposit money.

“Not happy at all when Lane Ends is 5mins from my house. No banks now at all at Lane Ends that was the last one.”

Cllr Brown said: “It is quite devastating this branch which is the last remaining one in Tulketh ward is earmarked for closure this July. Many people who are elderly or have disabilities within the community really value the face to face contact that the Ashton Lloyd Branch provides.

“In addition, many taxpayers in Tulketh paid to bail out Lloyds during the credit crunch in 2008 and it seems a little unfair in that context they are closing services in our communities. I would urge them to reconsider.”

Public affairs manager for Lloyds Matthew Harris said: “Customers will have their accounts realigned to Fishergate Preston around 1.75 miles away, and there will be no other impact on the way they manage their accounts. We will be writing to customers to give them all the information they need. Personal banking customers can use their local Post Office to check their balance, withdraw cash and make deposits to their account. The closest Post Office is 212 Tulketh Brow which is 0.1 miles away.

“We realise that our customers value the branch experience alongside online, digital and phone, and the decision to close any branch is not one that we ever take lightly. Our decisions are based on customer demand or on locations where we have duplicated branches. In line with our commitments under the British Bankers’ Association’s Access to Banking protocol, we are writing to affected customers, and our Local Directors will be engaging with businesses and the wider community to make sure they are aware of the alternative ways of accessing their banking in the local area.

“Our branch staff have been informed about this announcement, and we do not expect these changes to result in any compulsory job losses. We aim to redeploy everyone currently working at the branch to alternative Lloyds Bank branches; however, we expect there to be a small number of role reductions as a result of these changes and we will look to achieve this by offering voluntary redundancy in some locations. We cannot confirm the numbers at this stage as we need to conduct meetings with impacted colleagues first.

“This closure is part of the three-year programme of strategic branch closures that we announced in October 2014. We expect an overall reduction of around 200 branches in total across the country.”

The closure of Lloyds follows the decision by Booths to close its Lane Ends store in January.

Do you use the Lloyds in Lane Ends? What do you think about the decision? Let us know in the comments below