RESIDENTS in Newton Aycliffe have voiced their concern at the “worrying trend” of high street banks disappearing from the town after TSB announced that they would be pulling out of the area yesterday – becoming the fifth bank to do so in as many years.
As recent as 2016, Newton Aycliffe boasted the likes of Santander, Natwest, TSB, Barclays, and Halifax – but over the last five years, they’ve left one by one, leaving just Halifax and the Post Office as the only options for people to access a physical banking service.
The most recent victim of bank cuts, TSB, highlighted that they would be closing the branch in Newton Aycliffe on May 3, 2022 – meaning that the nearest branch for many will be Bishop Auckland or Darlington.
Read more: TSB confirms date Aycliffe, Redcar and Northallerton branches will shut
The Northern Echo visited Newton Aycliffe yesterday to gauge reaction from people who live in the town about bank services and the most recent announcement about TSB disappearing from Greenwell Road.
Anne Fraser, who was with Barclays Bank before it closed, is frustrated at the fast pace that banks are leaving towns and villages across County Durham – meaning that older people can’t access services and “see a friendly face in branch”.
She said: “While it’s all well and good for young people that can have an app or go online, it’s awful for us older people who can’t access these digital things.
“I remember when there were five or six banks within a small part of Newton Aycliffe, and now, they’re gone – it’s sad, really.”
It’s a similar story for many of those that we spoke to yesterday. Stuart and Sandra Dawes, who must travel to Bishop Auckland to access their banking at Natwest, say that it’s becoming “increasingly difficult” to get reliable public transport to connect them to banks.
The couple said: “We’re not the most digital-savvy – we can’t access online banking, and we know many people who don’t trust digital.
“Soon, there’ll be no banks around – maybe that’s the way things are going, but to say there’s a choice of Halifax or The Post Office is pretty sad and desperate.”
Read more: TSB announces plan to close 70 bank branches next
The public transport element was also an issue for Newton Aycliffe resident, Alan Austin, who relies on the bus to get to the shops.
He said: “It’s not just about the lack of banking, it’s about the shops that sit empty in the town long after they’re gone.
“Travelling to banks is a large issue for lots of people – I know people who have moved from Newton Aycliffe to Bishop Auckland to Durham and now find themselves not knowing what’s happening.”
Alongside the concerns of residents for the loss of banks, the issue is one that’s shared by councillors in the area.
Mayor of Great Aycliffe Town Council, Cllr Sandra Haigh, is “disgusted” at TSB’s decision to close and is looking to raise the concerns of people in Newton Aycliffe at an upcoming meeting.
She said: “Older people that predominantly use physical bank branches sometimes need that reassurance, and to talk to someone, they need that assistance.
“Getting to Bishop Auckland or Darlington isn’t that easy – it’s okay if you need to get to Newton Aycliffe town centre, but this is a journey that, for many, is hours away on the bus.
“I, myself, have moved from Santander to Barclays and into TSB – it’s an issue that needs sorting out. Why would the good people of Newton Aycliffe pay to travel to manage their money – it doesn’t make sense.
“If you have a young member of your family, it’s fine – but it’s not always easy if you’re isolated from people and elderly – more can be done.”
In response to the anger raised by residents in Newton Aycliffe concerning bank closures, TSB has confirmed that the closing of the branch was done after a “thorough investigation”.
This includes a survey done earlier this year, which found that customer transactions at the branch had fallen by 42 per cent since January 2019, while noting that the closest Post Office is 0.3 miles away and the nearest ATM is 0.1 miles away.
A spokesperson for the banking group said: “We have not taken the decision to close our Newton Aycliffe branch lightly, but we have to respond to declining branch use and increasing numbers of customers switching to digital banking services.”
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