Beccles councillor Caroline Topping voices fears for community following announcement of town's Halifax branch closure

A Beccles councillor has spoken out about her fears for the community following an announcement that the town's Halifax bank branch is set to close.

The closure of the Market Street branch was announced last week and will come into force from July 5, with 60 others in the country also planned for closure.

Caroline Topping, Green County Councillor for the Beccles Division, told Suffolk News she is worried for those who bank with Halifax and prefer to visit in-person, which includes herself.

"It has been the case now for a number of years that when us customers go to the desks to carry out our transactions with a real, live person, it has been company policy for that member of staff to have to direct us to the machines to carry out transactions," she said.

"I prefer to speak to a person, so doggedly continued to try and do so through the staff. However, it was always inevitable that the company were intending to push all their customers onto the machines and thus be able to state in their ‘We’re moving all accounts at Beccles branch as it’s closing soon’ letter that 'How people choose to do their banking has been changing for some time.'"

Cllr Topping fears that bank users who are forced to bank online for the first time following the closure will be more likely to be targeted by online scams.

"There are people who do not want to be pushed into electronic banking through lack of technology, understanding or trust of that system, fraud is a very real concern to a great deal of people and I personally know people who have lost a great deal of money through banking scams," she said.

While account holders have been contacted to let them know which branch their information has been transferred to, Cllr Topping said many will not be able to travel to their new branches.

"This is a very real shame for those who are unable to travel to Lowestoft branch, where my account is being transferred. This closure will also increase the already very long queue in the post office in Beccles which is very cramped for waiting space with inadequate seating for those less able bodied.

"I fear that this will not be the only bank we loose with reduced services in a number of the other banks as well."

In a published closing branch review, Halifax stated that 66 per cent of customers using the Beccles branch have also used other Halifax branches, online banking or telephone banking.

They also said 21 per cent of customers using the branch have also used the Post Office. They also revealed 100 customers used the branch regularly in the year ending November 2021.

Speaking at the time of the announcement, Vim Maru, group retail director, said: "Just like many other high street businesses, fewer customers are choosing to visit our branches.

"Our branch network is an important way for us to support our customers, but we need to adapt to the significant growth in customers choosing to do most of their everyday banking online."