Barclays have announced the closure of 15 branches in 2023. This is in addition to the confirmed closures that have been previously announced in May 2022.
The multinational bank headquartered in London had previously said that 11 bank branches across the UK would be closed this year. Other banks that have closed branches include HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest.
The disappearance of banks from the high street is supposedly a response to a shift in how people manage their finances. The pandemic may have accelerated digital transformation and led people to embrace online banking.
As reported by Express, the news of bank closures will be difficult for those who prefer in-person banking. Here is a full list of the 15 Barclays branches which are set to close in the near future:
Barclays bank branch closures
Guiseley (45 Oxford Road LS20 8AE) - April 12, 2023
Hunstanton (42 High Street PE36 5AQ) - April 12, 2023
London (260 Walworth Road SE17 1JF) - April 13, 2023
Bargoed (1 Hanbury Road CF81 8XA) - April 14, 2023
Barnoldswick (5 Church Street BB18 5UR) - April 14, 2023
Flitwick (3 Station Road MK45 1JS) - April 14, 2023
Macclesfield (10 Market Place SK10 1HA) - April 14, 2023
Milton Keynes (8/10 High Street, Woburn Sands MK17 8RN) - April 18, 2023
Shenfield (93-95 Hutton Road CM15 8JE) - April 19, 2023
London (104/108 Tower Bridge Road SE1 3NG) - April 19, 2023
London (304 Green Street E7 8LG) - April 20, 2023
Bishop Auckland (55 Front Street, Stanhope DL13 2TU) - April 21, 2023
Warley (70 Birmingham Road, Rowley Regis B65 9BA) - April 21, 2023
Keswick (Market Square CA12 5BE) - April 21, 2023
Leeds (390 Harrogate Road LS17 6PY) - April 21, 2023.
Overall, 26 branches from the bank will no longer continue operations in their high street sites. However, any Barclays' customers concerned about the pending changes will still be able to access vital in-person services.
To help those who may find it difficult to use online banking, the bank has set up a support van and pop-up banks. These services will be accessible to Barclays customers on certain dates and times of the day.
Customers who are impacted by the branch closures can find more information on the support van and pop-up banks on the bank’s website. On top of this, those who have an account with Barclays can access certain facilities through Post Office branches instead.
Examples of what people can do via the Post Office include withdrawing cash, checking bank balances and depositing cheques. Here is a full list of the previously confirmed branch closures from Barclays, as well as the dates these sites will be shut down:
List of confirmed closures of Barclays branches in 2023
Amersham (4 Sycamore Road HP6 5DT) - January 3, 2023
Ellesmere Port (100 Whitby Road CH65 0AD) - February 3, 2023
Liskeard (The Parade PL14 6AR) - February 3, 2023
Weymouth (2B St Mary Street DT4 8PB) - March 3, 2023
Dagenham (227/231 Heathway RM9 5AN) - March 3, 2023
Bridlington (6 Manor Street YO15 2RU) - June 3, 2023
Swansea (16 Newton Road, Mumbles SA3 4AU) - July 3, 2023
Sleaford (21 Market Place NG34 7SS) - August 3, 2023
Torquay (39/40 Fleet Street TQ2 5DL) - August 3, 2023
Sittingbourne (85 High Street ME10 4AW) - August 3, 2023
Birmingham (161 High Street, Kings Heath B14 7LA) - October 3, 2023.
Tobias Gruber, the founder and CEO of My Community Finance, commented: “It’s becoming increasingly common for banks to close their high street branches as more customers shift to online and digital banking methods. In the case of Barclays, the closure of these branches will result in cost savings for the bank, so I hope they choose to re-invest in improving their digital and telephone banking services for their loyal customers, as well as providing more ‘pop-up’ banks and support vans for their rural customers who may not have access to the internet.
“If you’re a Barclays customer and need branch access and don’t have alternative services nearby, you might want to consider switching to a bank with a physical branch in your area - although there are no guarantees that they will remain open for long.”