Campaign to save Hadleigh's last bank from closure gathers momentum

Hadleigh Town Council is leading a campaign to try to save the last bank branch in Hadleigh from closure.

Mayor Frank Binns proposed at a recent town council meeting that councillors write to county and district councils, as well as the town’s MP, to get their support to lobby TSB against shutting its doors in May.

The bank announced that Hadleigh is one of more than 160 branches to go as part of plans to cut 900 jobs nationwide.

So far, South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge has backed the campaign, along with John Ward, leader of Babergh District Council, with both men concerned about the effect the bank’s loss would have on the town.

TSB is the only bank branch in Hadleigh, with Barclays having closed in 2018.

Cllr Binns said: “There are certain things you can’t do at the Post Office. For example, businesses cannot use a night safe to bank their takings and you can’t get change. Despite what they say, people still use cash.

“High streets are going to change and it’s possible banks may not have a role to play there in future, but we think it’s far too premature to expect people to change the entire way they handle their finances in such a short time.”

TSB has given seven months’ notice of its intention to close and Cllr Binns said he wanted to know how the bank justified its decision on the amount of use a town of 9,000 residents made of the bank.

“James Cartlidge has been very helpful and found out that, unfortunately, the footfall at the bank is quite low. Nevertheless there are other factors to take into account,” added Cllr Binns.

“A lot of elderly people do not use internet banking and to get them to shift their way of using money in this way is just unfair.

“There is no other bank branch in Hadleigh, so people would have to go to Ipswich or Sudbury to visit a branch, but our bus services to get there are not very good.”

He said that he was waiting to hear back from Suffolk County Council before approaching TSB to find out if it was able to look at ways to help those who are affected by the closure.

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