Councillors Ben Miskell and Nabeela Mowlana today launched a campaign to stop the closure of what they say is the ‘last remaining bank’ in their community, as Lloyds Bank on City Road is set to close its doors for the last time in November.
Launching an online petition to stop the closure, Councillor Ben Miskell, Labour Spokesperson on Economic Development in the city said:
“We’ve been inundated by concerned residents who want Lloyds to reconsider their closure plans.”
“Closing bank branches in deprived communities is not a responsible action to be taking and leaves some of the most vulnerable residents, as well as local businesses, without proper access to banking services. Last year Lloyds Banking Group made £5.9 billion in profit. They aren’t hard pressed for cash, like many people in South Yorkshire facing the brunt of a cost-of-living crisis. We deserve better from this multinational company”.
In a letter to councillors, advising of the closure, Liz Delahaye from Lloyds Bank said:
“We’re constantly transforming our branch network as we reflect changing customer demand for branch transactions and services. Sometimes this will mean we make the difficult decisions to permanently close a branch.”.
Councillor Nabeela Mowlana hit back at claims by Lloyds Bank that the closure reflected changing customer demands, saying:
“It’s only a few years back that the taxpayer bailed out Lloyds Banking Group from collapse. They are now repaying us by closing the last remaining bank in our community. Many residents where I live, particularly those that are elderly, will be hit the hardest.”
The online petition to stop the closure of the bank branch can he found here: