Buxton branch of The Co-operative Bank to close

Customers have been notified that the branch at 28 Spring Gardens will shut its doors for the final time on April 25.

A spokesman for The Co-operative Bank could not confirm the number of customers directly affected, but said the closure would impact on four staffing roles.

Former customers of Britannia Building Society - which was bought out by the Co-op - are among those affected.

One customer commented: “There are a lot of people who don’t have any other banking facilities and it feels like they are just being thrown to the wolves. It’s disgraceful.”

Liam Coleman, Director of Retail and Commercial Bank at The Co-operative Bank, said: “We have sought to keep the impact on our customers to a minimum and are writing to affected customers giving them advance notice about these changes and the alternative options available to them.

“Alongside online and mobile banking facilities, all closing branches are within three miles of a Post Office branch where customers can undertake most day to day transactions, and in many cases much closer.”

Mr Coleman said the reduction in branches was part of its business plan to turn the bank around and make it sustainable.

“These decisions are never easy, but continuing to reduce our costs is necessary as we seek to restructure and modernise the bank and, unfortunately, this includes closing branches where the number of transactions has declined significantly, meaning it is no longer sustainable,” he explained.

“Although, like all banks, we will need to keep our branch network under review as the switch to digital increases, this is the last stage of significant branch closures as part of the bank’s transformation.”

The Buxton branch is the only one in Derbyshire currently scheduled for closure, the company added.