Councillors from differing sides of party lines have joined together and called a public meeting following the closure announcement of the final bank branch in a rural County Durham area.

Labour town councillor Chris Foote-Wood and Ted Henderson, Conservative Durham County Councillor for Upper Teesdale have called for a public meeting following news Barclays in Barnard Castle will close in 2025.

The branch, located on Market Place, announced the news of the closure in early January citing that only 28 customers use the branch regularly as Barclays close the doors of 20 branches across the UK.

The Northern Echo: Barclays, Barnard Castle.Barclays, Barnard Castle. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Concerned residents will now be able to have their say at the Witham Hall in Barnard Castle on February 8, 7pm as a representative of Barclays has been invited to the meeting.

Cllr Foote-Wood said: "There is a great deal of anger and concern over this decision. Many people prefer to do their banking face-to-face with someone they know and trust, rather than go online.

"Quite a lot of people don’t have a computer."

They added: "We feel however that it would be pointless to try and stop the closure. In common with all the major banks, Barclays are continuing to close branches all over the country, and they are not going to make an exception here.

"Instead, we expect Barclays to support the maintenance of full banking services in some way.

"The ideal would be for all the major banks to support a hub where all bank customers can get personal service."

A sign placed in the window of the branch reads: "We're changing the way we support you in Barnard Castle. We'll still be part of your community, look out for more details coming soon."

"Back when we opened this branch, visiting us in person was one of the only ways to do your banking.

"Now, as there are lots of ways to manage your money without even leaving your home, we’re seeing many customers choosing to bank using our app, and Online or Telephone Banking.

The Northern Echo: Sign at Barclays, Barnard Castle.Sign at Barclays, Barnard Castle. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

"This has had a big impact on the number of customers coming in to see us."

Four years ago, Barclays committed to keeping a total of 105 last-in-town and remote branches open until at least October 2021. 

Since this date, they have shut the Middleton-in-Teesdale branch and earmarked the Barnard Castle branch for closure too.

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A Barclays spokesperson said: "As visits to branches continue to fall, with the majority of people preferring to bank online, we need to adapt to provide the best service for all our customers. This is reflected at Barnard Castle where we are delivering new ways to support our customers and the community with options for those who need in-person services.

"In Barnard Castle we plan to open a Barclays Local – a cashless banking site where customers can meet a colleague face-to-face for banking support, as they would in a branch and without the need to travel.

"We are currently working with the local community to identify a suitable location and will announce details once confirmed."