North Wales...MS Darren Millar has slammed HSBC’s decision to close more than 100 branches!

Well done to Darren Millar for speaking out as he always does.

This is so sad, banks are the heart of our communities, and yet they are falling like dominoes. There always appear to be queues at the banks so why are they closing?

CLWYD West MS Darren Millar has slammed HSBC’s decision to close more than 100 branches, including Colwyn Bay.

The bank made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that the closures are down to “a reduction in footfall in most of the branches by more than 50%”.

The Colwyn Bay branch will close on August 15, 2023.

Posters will be displayed in the branch giving details of the closure, and HSBC will be writing to regular users of the branch on 23 January 2023 to provide more information about the closure, and the alternative services available to them.

Mr Millar said: “I am extremely disappointed to see HSBC abandoning our high streets in this way with total disregard for their customers and staff, and I am particularly concerned that Colwyn Bay is to lose another bank – having seen the closure of Barclays Bank only two months ago. Customers will have to travel over seven miles away to Llandudno if they want to see someone face-to-face - and who knows how long that branch will be open for!

“Whilst I recognise that more people are now banking online, there are still many people, particularly the elderly, who like to bank in person and it is a great worry that this option is being take away from them.

“Bank closures have been commonplace in recent years and I have repeatedly raised my concerns about this in the Senedd chamber. They impact on businesses and the whole community in general.

“As I have previously said, we really need to see a long term plan to secure banking services in local communities so that everyone can access face to face services close to where they live. Sharing premises, the development of partnerships with other firms, and mobile banking services may help to achieve this aim.

“I will be writing to HSBC to express my strong objections to these plans.”

It comes as HSBC has announced that it will be closing 114 branches in 2023.

The move comes as the bank shares that more people are choosing online banking over using a physical branch to do their banking.

HSBC found that the number of people visiting has dropped by 65% over the course of five years.

In a statement from the bank, it said: "The decline in branch use has accelerated so much since the Covid-19 pandemic that some of the branches closing are now serving fewer than 250 customers a week."

They also shared that 97.5% of its banking transactions are now done online

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK managing director of UK distribution, said: "People are changing the way they bank and footfall in many branches is at an all-time low, with no signs of it returning.

"The decision to close a branch is never easy or taken lightly, especially if we are the last branch in an area, so we’ve invested heavily in our ‘post closure’ strategy, including providing free tablet devices to selected branch customers who do not already have a device to bank digitally, alongside one-to-one coaching to help them migrate to digital banking."

Full list of HSBC banks closing in 2023

April

Blandford Forum 18/04/2023
Bristol Downend 25/04/2023
Bexhill on Sea 18/04/2023
Leominster 25/04/2023
Abergavenny 18/04/2023
Market Bosworth 25/04/2023
Cromer 18/04/2023
Alton 25/04/2023
St Ives 18/04/2023
Shaftesbury 25/04/2023
St Austell 18/04/2023

May

Wilmslow 02/05/2023
Stamford 16/05/2023
Whitley Bay 02/05/2023
Whitby 16/05/2023
Coleraine 02/05/2023
Bridport 23/05/2023
Bideford 02/05/2023
Hove 23/05/2023
Gainsborough 02/05/2023
Fakenham 23/05/2023
Launceston 02/05/2023
Sudbury 23/05/2023
Arnold 09/05/2023
Liskeard 23/05/2023
Didcot 09/05/2023
Bristol Filton 30/05/2023
Brecon 09/05/2023
Dundee 30/05/2023
Minehead 09/05/2023
Waltham Cross 30/05/2023
Dover 09/05/2023 11
Hinckley Road 30/05/2023
Halesowen 16/05/2023
Market Harborough 30/05/2023
Stroud 16/05/2023
Stourport on Severn 30/05/2023
Brighouse 16/05/2023

June

Stirling 06/06/2023
Twickenham 20/06/2023
Pocklington 06/06/2023
Ross on Wye 20/06/2023
Chepstow 06/06/2023
Hertford 20/06/2023
Knutsford 06/06/2023
Wells 20/06/2023
Frome 06/06/2023
Bicester 20/06/2023
Portadown 06/06/2023
Oakham 20/06/2023
Penarth 13/06/2023
New Milton 27/06/2023
Ilkley 13/06/2023
Lewes 27/06/2023
South Shields 13/06/2023
Pontypool 27/06/2023
Skipton 13/06/2023
Beccles 27/06/2023
Honiton 13/06/2023
St Neots 27/06/2023
Sleaford 13/06/2023
Wadebridge 27/06/2023

July

Portishead 04/07/2023
Horsforth 18/07/2023
Droitwich 04/07/2023
Gosforth 18/07/2023
Leatherhead 04/07/2023
Harpenden 18/07/2023
Palmers Green 04/07/2023
Bognor Regis 18/07/2023
Coalville 04/07/2023
Marlow 18/07/2023
Park Gate Southampton 11/07/2023
Christchurch 25/07/2023
Wetherby 11/07/2023
Seaford 25/07/2023
Port Talbot 11/07/2023
Blackwood 25/07/2023
Kingswinford 11/07/2023
Norwich Mile Cross 25/07/2023
Long Eaton 11/07/2023
Ripley 25/07/2023
Bromborough 18/07/2023
Tonbridge 25/07/2023

August

Bristol Westbury on Trym 01/08/2023
Bethnal Green 15/08/2023
Ormskirk 01/08/2023
Hornchurch 15/08/2023
Putney 01/08/2023
Colwyn Bay 15/08/2023
Ashton under Lyne 01/08/2023
Dorchester 22/08/2023
Kenilworth 01/08/2023
Morley 22/08/2023
Reigate 08/08/2023
Wymondham 22/08/2023
North Finchley 08/08/2023
Ryde 22/08/2023
Cirencester 08/08/2023
Windsor 22/08/2023
Henley on Thames 08/08/2023
Cardiff Rhyd y Penau 29/08/2023
Denbigh 08/08/2023
Leighton Buzzard 29/08/2023
122 Finchley Road 15/08/2023
Eastwood 29/08/2023
Chippenham 15/08/2023

Branches with no date for their closure

Oxted
Hythe
Epworth
Cowbridge
Holsworthy
Settle
Tenby
From....https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23161540.hsbc-shut-114-banks-2023-full-list-closed-branches/

The Thoughts Of Mrs Colwyn Bay

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