{"id":100865,"date":"2025-01-31T13:53:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T02:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=100865"},"modified":"2025-01-31T13:53:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T02:53:26","slug":"lloyds-bank-just-announced-136-more-closures-is-your-branch-on-the-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/lloyds-bank-just-announced-136-more-closures-is-your-branch-on-the-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Lloyds Bank Just Announced 136 More Closures \u2013 Is Your Branch on the List?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Lloyds Banking Group<\/strong> has announced the closure of <strong>136 branches<\/strong> across its three brands: <strong>Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland<\/strong>. The closures, scheduled between <strong>May 2024 and March 2026<\/strong>, mark another significant reduction in the number of <strong>physical bank branches<\/strong> in the UK as digital banking continues to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why are the branches closing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The bank cited the ongoing shift towards <strong>online and mobile banking<\/strong> as the key reason for these closures. A <strong>Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson<\/strong> highlighted that over <strong>20 million customers<\/strong> now manage their accounts via the <strong>bank\u2019s mobile app and online services<\/strong>, reducing the demand for <strong>in-person banking<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To support customers affected by the closures, the bank emphasized the availability of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/amp-bank-launches-australias-first-numberless-debit-card\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alternative banking options<\/a><\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Online and mobile banking<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Telephone banking<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community banker services<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Post Office partnerships<\/strong> (with over <strong>11,000 locations<\/strong> for everyday banking)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Banking hubs<\/strong>, where multiple banks share facilities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The bank also confirmed that <strong>all employees at closing branches<\/strong> would be offered <strong>alternative roles<\/strong> within the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How will customers be impacted?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the rise in digital banking, the closures may disproportionately affect <strong>elderly and vulnerable customers<\/strong>. According to consumer group <strong>Which?<\/strong>, since <strong>January 2015<\/strong>, the UK has lost over <strong>6,214 bank and building society branches<\/strong>, averaging around <strong>53 closures per month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although many UK residents now bank online, data shows that <strong>only 14% of those aged 85 and older<\/strong> use digital banking, raising concerns that some individuals may face challenges accessing financial services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recent changes to Lloyds Banking Group services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These closures follow <strong>a recent restructuring of in-person banking services<\/strong> across the group&#8217;s three brands. Under the new policy, <strong>customers of Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland<\/strong> can now visit any branch within the group for banking services, rather than being limited to their specific brand\u2019s locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This move is aimed at providing <strong>greater flexibility<\/strong>, but the overall reduction in branches could still make in-person services <strong>less accessible in certain areas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complete list of affected branches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Halifax branches closing in 2025<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Notable locations include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Acomb (York) \u2013 January 13<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alnwick \u2013 January 15<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Belfast (Castle Court) \u2013 February 4<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Camberley \u2013 March 11<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Liverpool (Prescot Road) \u2013 January 8<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Southampton (Bitterne Road) \u2013 June 9<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Winchester \u2013 January 20<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lloyds Bank branches closing in 2025<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Key closures include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ashbourne \u2013 June 24<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Beccles \u2013 May 6<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bolton Farnworth \u2013 May 28<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bristol Bishopsworth \u2013 November 6<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coventry Foleshill \u2013 November 4<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leeds (Harehills Lane) \u2013 January 8<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Southampton (Shirley High Street) \u2013 January 28<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bank of Scotland branches closing in 2025<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Significant closures include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Banff \u2013 May 8<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dunfermline \u2013 January 21<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leven \u2013 May 7<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Montrose \u2013 March 10<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>North Berwick \u2013 February 19<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wick \u2013 June 25<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The closure of these <strong>136 branches<\/strong> is part of a broader trend in the <strong>UK banking sector<\/strong>, where financial institutions continue to reduce their physical presence in response to <strong>shifting customer preferences<\/strong>. While digital banking offers <strong>greater convenience<\/strong> for many, the loss of local branches raises concerns about <strong>accessibility, particularly for older and less tech-savvy customers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lloyds Banking Group is set to shut down 136 branches across Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, citing a shift to digital banking. With thousands of branches already closed in recent years, concerns grow over who will be most affected. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":100869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100865"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100868,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100865\/revisions\/100868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}