Lloyds customer hopes others will back branch closure fight
A CUSTOMER of Lloyds Bank is encouraging others to change banks to try to make it reconsider its decision to close its St Martin’s branch.
Lloyds announced last month that its St Martin’s branch would close by the end of the year, along with the one in Alderney and another in Jersey.
Former Guernsey Press business editor John Neale, 85, is disabled and he said it would be impossible for him to use the High Street branch.
He plans to open a premier account with HSBC in St Martin’s because, he said, there was blue badge parking directly outside its Manor Stores branch. He hopes others will do the same.
‘I doubt very much that it will get Lloyds to change their mind, but if we all did nothing, then where would we be?’ he said.
‘Lloyds Bank made a £1.05bn profit in the first quarter of this year so there’s no excuse for closing places down when their profits are that high.’
Mr Neale said he went to the Lloyds branch in St Martin’s about three times a month and there were always queues there.
‘I do online banking but there are some things that I need to do face-to-face,’ he said.
He said several people had offered their support since he floated the idea on his Facebook page.
Mr Neale said that when he called Lloyds to voice his concern he spent 50 minutes on the phone. When he suggested that customers could get together and threaten to move to other banks in order to get the decision reversed, he said he was told that it would not make any difference.
‘My father worked for Lloyds all his working life and I’m sure he would turn in his grave at this awful attitude,’ he said.
Unless customers made a stand, he said there would soon not be any local branches, everything would be done online and thousands of people would be out of work.
‘Customer service should be the aim, not just the bottom line,’ he said.
The bank’s response
Lloyds Bank International islands director Alasdair Gardner said: ‘Our St Martin’s branch in Guernsey will close later on this year in response to the significant reduction in customers using this branch over the last 10 years.
‘Our customers have more choice than ever in how they bank with us, with many carrying out their everyday banking online. We continue to invest in our branches, as seen with the refurbishment of the Lloyds Bank in Smith Street.
‘We have two branches in Guernsey – at The Bridge and 1, Smith Street – which are a short drive away and also accessible by public transport and customers can also continue to use nearby free-to-use ATMs.’
