Following last week’s announcement of further bank closures across North Wales, an Assembly Member for the region has this week called on the Welsh Government to take action.
Having previously engaged with HSBC and NatWest over branch closures in his regional constituency, Mark Isherwood is very concerned that HSBC now plans further closures, in Holywell, Holyhead and Llanrwst,, and in the Assembly Chamber yesterday asked Carwyn Jones what action his Government is taking in response the decisions being made by banks and building societies to close branches.
Speaking in the Chamber, he said:
“As HSBC told me when I met them last year to discuss the closures in Flintshire, as NatWest replied to me as I opposed and wrote to them regarding their closure in Holywell, and as the Yorkshire Building Society is now saying, the reason for this is the switch from bank branch-based service usage to digital usage. Of course, that, as has been now said about HSBC in Holywell, Holyhead and Llanrwst, leaves older people, those without transport, those without internet access, shopkeepers, and small businesses losing out.
“In that context, what dialogue and what submission did your Government make to Professor Griggs’s Independent Review into how banks have implemented the Banking Protocol to minimise the impact of bank closures, and was there any dialogue with the Post Office regarding their newly announced partnership to secure access to local banking services?”
In his response, the First Minister welcomed the recommendations for better engagement and communication between the banks and customers, but said “it is important the UK Government, as the lead organisation here, make sure that what the Review actually suggested is taken forward, namely that the banks improve the way they engage with those communities facing branch closures, including working with small business customers to see how they can further mitigate the challenge of cash deposits and collection that closures bring to some of them.”
Mr Isherwood added: “Again, no answer from this First Minister to the actual questions asked, suggesting that no action was taken by his ever complaining Government.”