Cyngor Tref Pwllheli
Pwllheli Branch of Lloyds Bank to Close
Dear Sir/Madam,
Pwllheli Town Council are surprised and very disappointed to hear the announcement that the Pwllheli branch of Lloyds will close 12th January 2023. This was an announcement with no prior consultation with the public or apparently your staff who were left to deal with questions with long standing customers in obvious distress. Pwllheli Town Council and the other community/Town councils in Dwyfor were not given the courtesy of being informed or given an opportunity to speak on behalf of the residents they serve.
Long standing financial institutions and organisations should have a moral obligation to the communities they serve and the staff they employ. These are the communities and people that have enabled the bank to get to where it is today. We do not believe that making a profit for shareholders should overtake looking after the people/communities that provide banks, in part, with the money to run their business in the first place.
Banks need to recognise the important role and responsibilities they have to the communities and residents. Local banks are more than access to money. Our community life, our elderly and most vulnerable and our young people will suffer because of the removal of local branches.
You make many questionable statements to support your decision. Some are listed here.
You state you are continuing to invest in your branch network. This is not evidenced by the number of branches you are closing.
18% of personnel customers are over the age of 75 and 37% over 55. What a way to treat the elderly. Loyal customers deserve better than to have their branch closed without any consultation. How are they going to travel to Caernarfon from Pwllheli or Dwyfor?
Especially with today's high fuel costs. For many customers talking to counter staff is a necessity. What would be the point of travelling to Caernarfon as you appear to have failed to mention that the bank there only has an automated service.
You state that you have made an analysis on the impact on your customers including the vulnerable who may need support. Can the Town Council be given a copy of this analysis? We are very keen on your assessment of the impact on a possible vulnerable person.
You have 182 regular customers attending the bank. What does regular mean as this is not a small number of customers? Do they attend daily, weekly etc? Has consideration been given to the country being closed for long periods due to COVID?
Have you assessed the size of the Post office in Pwllheli? They are struggling to cope with their own customers. The elderly will have to queue outside in all-weather due to its limited size. The same with your community banker.
72% of customers have used another Lloyds branch. This is not a surprise as we are a holiday destination.
Many are only using mobile banking due to banks pushing customers to do this in the first instance. Many, especially the elderly continues to want and need personal contact with your staff.
Pwllheli Town Council are requesting a meeting with Lloyd’s bank to discuss your impact analysis and the matters raised in this letter. A face-to-face discussion with a representation from Pwllheli Town Council, arranged as soon as possible is the least you owe your customers.
Access to banking services and cash in a way that best suits us and not the bank should be our right.
Mayor - Mici Plwm
Deputy Mayor – Mike Parry
Councillors – Karen Rees Roberts, Eric Wyn Roberts, Michael Sol Owen, Dr Iwan Edgar, Glynis Ellis, Manon Owen, Elin Hywel, Hefin Underwood, Alan Williams, John Dowling, Michael Jones, Dylan Bullard, Ffiona Adams.
Letter to Lloyds Bank as a pdf
