Petition started to save high street bank branch

A petition to prevent the closure of a Somerset branch of Lloyds Bank has collected more than 2,000 signatures and the support of the local MP.

The branch on Worle High Street, Weston-super-Mare, is the only one in the area, with Lloyds announcing in the summer it would close on 25 November.

Petition organiser Jill Leahy said: "Many people in this area are more senior or disabled and this will affect them, local businesses and those that are digitally excluded."

A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson said "many customers now choose to bank through their mobile app or online, visits to our Worle branch have fallen over recent years".

'Clearly demand'

Ms Leahy added: "The branch has free parking and easy access and to go to town would mean finding parking, paying for it or paying for buses.

"Ideally we would like the branch to stay open because there is clearly demand."

Ms Leahy said she appreciated that footfall had dropped by 47% but that services had been reduced by 50%.

"It has the same footfall as the branch in Weston with less staff and shorter opening hours."

Ms Leahy's campaign has earned the support of the local MP, Dan Aldridge, who said: "Access to cash is still so important for our communities here in Worle, Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding villages.

"I know many, often older, or vulnerable people who can't or simply don't wish to bank online, or struggle to make the journey into Weston.

"I sincerely hope Lloyds will think again about the closure of the Worle branch."

Visits 'have fallen'

Lloyds Banking Group, which also owns Halifax and the Royal Bank of Scotland, announced the closure as one of nearly 300 planned for 2024 and 2025.

The spokesperson for Lloyds added: "When the branch closes later this month, customers can continue to manage their money online, by calling us, in person at our Weston Super Mare branch, or the local Post Office.”

They added the bank had taken "a number of factors into account in line with Financial Conduct Authority guidance" before making the decision.

They also said it had written "to customers who use the Worle branch, to let them know it would be closing and explained about the other ways they can continue to do their banking".