MPs to meet with Barclays over bank closures
The MPs for south Shropshire and Shrewsbury will meet with Barclays to discuss the closure of banks in two towns.
MP for Ludlow Philip Dunne said the meeting will take place in Ludlow tomorrow and representatives from Shropshire Council and both Much Wenlock Town Council and Church Stretton Town Council will also be there.
Branches in Wem, Newport, Church Stretton and Much Wenlock are to close later this year, with Barclays blaming a fall in the number of customers using them.
Mr Dunne said: "I had a brief meeting with Daniel Kawczynski earlier in the week.
"He has constituents who live nearby and use the Barclays which are under threat.
"I've got local Shropshire councillors for Much Wenlock, Church Stretton and the two town councils coming to a meeting with the regional management at Barclays tomorrow in Ludlow.
"We will be making very clear to them the strength of concern from the local communities.
"Each town has got a petition going to try and give some quantifiable evidence of how many people are concerned about this and the petitions do refer to those who have accounts with Barclays.
"There have been a number of bank closures in recent years and it gets more serious the more that close."
Mr Dunne added: "In Much Wenlock we've got the last bank in the town proposing to close and the banks are taking the view that customers are undertaking transactions online and that the physical banks are much less used.
"But that doesn't help those people who still do use physical banks.
"People are having to reply on post offices which are a lot of the time in convenience stores where there is often a queue anyway.
"They don't provide much confidentiality and there is potentially a long wait.
"For businesses who are depositing cash it's not great standing and waiting in a queue."
Mr Dunne said wither Mr Kawczynski or someone representing him will be present at the meeting.
If the banks close, customers will be forced to travel to Madeley, Bridgnorth or Telford, use online banking or use the local Post Office’s banking service.
Shifnal lost its last bank last year when Barclays closed its branch in the town.
