Yorkshire Bank to axe string of branches after review

NINE Yorkshire Bank branches in the region and 17 more across the rest of the UK are set to shut following a review of its high street operations.

Branches in Batley, Thorne, Yeadon, Rotherham Parkgate, Heckmondwike, Ilkley, Knaresborough, Queensbury and Seacroft will close between July and September.

Details of any possible redundancies were not disclosed by the bank, but it said it would try and find alternative roles for staff.

Head of customer banking networks, Steve Fletcher, said: “I understand this will not be welcome news for those who use these particular branches. These are difficult decisions but ones we must face as we try to keep up with the pace of change in the way people want to bank. We have to balance our investment to ensure we support demand where it is greatest, across mobile, online and branch services.”

Yorkshire Bank said the announcement reflects the “changing needs of customers who want to access more day-to-day banking services quickly, on the move and outside normal business hours.”

It also announced that Saturday opening hours will extend from 9.15am-1.15pm to 9.15am until 4pm and that an additional 25 branches in England will open on Saturdays by the end of the year, 10 of which will be in Yorkshire.

The 60 Yorkshire Bank branches which will be open on Saturdays will create nearly 14,000 extra hours of weekend service for customers in England each year; almost 6000 in Yorkshire alone, it said.

Investment in branch technology will continue with 100 additional ATMs across the UK each with deposit functionality as well as further branch refurbishments including Bradford and Leeds Crossgates.

Yorkshire Bank has already announced that it will launch a new banking service for tablets and smartphones this Spring called ‘B’ and said the changes to the branch network will ensure it continues to deliver “a sustainable service when and where there is greatest demand.”  

Mr Fletcher added: “Branches remain vitally important to us, and we continue to invest in them, the services they offer and when we offer them.  I hope that the investment we’re making in the overall quality of our branch network, the big increase in Saturday opening and the availability of other ways to bank, like local Post Office counters, will minimise the effect of this announcement for customers.”