Residents have spoken out on the "pathetic" decision that has left their town without a bank. The fight to keep the last bank in Kirkby-in-Ashfield open came to nothing with the unit's lease being marketed on Rightmove.
The Lloyds Banking Group branch, based in Station Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, announced late last year that it would close its branch on February 7, despite it standing in the town for generations. Ultimately, despite pressure from Ashfield's Conservative MP Lee Anderson and other councillors the branch did close its doors in February.
Now, three months on, local residents have shared their thoughts about living in a town without a bank. John Bates, 78, said: "I think it's absolutely pathetic. It's pathetic that they've decided to close it down.
"I don't understand it because it was always full. You'd look in there and there would always be a decent amount of people using the bank so it's very strange that they've decided to close it.
"The closest one we've got now is in Sutton and that's OK for me because I can drive over there but, for some people, especially elderly people, it must be a struggle. They said it was because not a lot of people were using it but that's utter nonsense."
Julie Matthews, 61, said: "Yes it's absolutely ridiculous. There's no good reason anyone could have for shutting it down. Were people still using it? Yes. There were always people in there, you had queues of people waiting to use it so I don't know what their reason for closing it was really.
"Now we have to go to Sutton if we need to use the bank because that's the closest one - and there's only one there. For some people getting to grips with using the online banking isn't easy - not everyone has a computer or a smartphone.
"I just couldn't believe it when I saw that they were closing down. It's not just here though it's everywhere isn't it. Everything's changing and it's not always for the better."
Lloyds Banking Group previously confirmed it would also shut 48 branches altogether in 2022. Speaking previously, a Lloyds Bank spokesman said the decision to close the Kirkby branch was due "to the changing ways customers choose to bank with us, which means the branch is being used less often".
"Customers can continue to bank locally by visiting the nearby Post Office, which is less than half a mile from the branch. The nearest alternative branch is Sutton-in-Ashfield," he added. Similar frustrations have been voiced in Mapperley which has also been left without a bank.
