Villagers angry as bank to close
A village's last remaining bank is to be closed.
High street bank HSBC has announced it is closing its Kibworth branch and removing the cash machine because of a lack of customers.
The move has been criticised by an organisation formed to promote the village and its business community, and a petition has been set up to save the bank.
Kibworth Improvement Team spokesman Andrew Southerden said: "It is very disappointing news and will affect our elderly residents who use the bank.
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"It is the only bank in the village and its closure will be a loss of a service to the community.
"It will mean that branch customers will have to travel to Market Harborough, Oadby or Wigston to find their nearest bank.
"Losing the cash machine will not be so bad, as there are others nearby."
The bank is open for five hours a day, from Monday to Friday, and employs two members of staff, who will be re-deployed. It is due to close on November 23.
Businesswoman Sarah Condon, who has used the branch for nearly 20 years, has launched a petition to save the High Street branch.
The 54-year-old said she was furious about the closure.
"As a resident of the village for some 20 years and an HSBC account holder for most of that time, I am very upset about this impending closure," Mrs Condon said.
"I tested the water among customers and was moved by the overwhelming sense of anger and distress people in Kibworth feel.
"Not everyone in the village is on the internet or has their own transport.
"I have started an e-petition and I will also be launching a paper petition to try to get the bank to change its mind."
A HSBC spokeswoman said: "The branch is only open for limited hours during the week and not at weekends.
"Customer usage of the branch has fallen significantly over the past few years as our customers use other branches or they are using the 24-hour convenience of internet or telephone and mobile phone banking.
"Our network has to be 'fit for purpose' and we have to ensure our branches are located in areas where they are actually used."
The spokeswoman said the bank was working with customers who use the branch to help them re-organise their finances ahead of the planned closure.
She said: "The two members of staff who work in the branch will transfer to the other branch and there will be no redundancies."
The online petition against the closure of the village branch can be seen at:
www.ipetitions.com/ petition/keep-hsbc-in-kibworth
Comments
by f007e
Friday, August 31 2012, 2:23PM
“suenorthedge, certainly the HSBC don't 'care about the elderly'. They're a publicly limited company, and their sole raison d'etre is to serve their shareholders.”
by suenorthedge
Friday, August 31 2012, 1:53PM
“Same old; same old ! The powers that be do not care about the elderly. They seem to be the forgotten people. Sickening that these multi million pound establishments do not care. Andrew Southerden for P.M. or at least our local M.P. !!!”
by Eastonian
Friday, August 31 2012, 1:43PM
“HSBC's slogan 'The World's Local Bank' rings a bit hollow nowadays. They are also one of a few who haven't come on board with the Post Office thus giving their customers an added option of paying money in and withdrawing cash and helping Post Offices out as well.
Perhaps they should advertise as 'The World's most Inconvenient Bank'!!”
by f007e
Friday, August 31 2012, 1:09PM
“Graham_LE8 I take your point (in particular regarding cash deposits, although cash is becoming less and less common as a means of payment). I feel like it must have been the same when it became less easy to send a telegram, or indeed, to buy a pager. It's unfortunate we can't keep everything the same for ever, but it's just not possible.”
by djh1967
Friday, August 31 2012, 1:04PM
“Shareholder value!”
by Graham_LE8
Friday, August 31 2012, 12:48PM
“@ f007e; Salient points, but your justification that technology can replace the face-to-face interaction with a bank is fine for those of us who have the equipment to do so (and the confidence to utilise it), but not everyone, particularly older people, are comfortable with this, and indeed some do not possess the hi-tech apparatus necessary.
There's also the minor issue of businesses servicing their 'float' or banking their takings - It might only happen a handful of times a week, but it's something that can't be done over the phone or internet I'm afraid. This will mean longer journeys, and/or less frequency and greater amounts of 'cash in transit'. From a community point of view, the closure represents another retrograde step.”
by f007e
Friday, August 31 2012, 10:06AM
“In an era when even it's possible to do all one's banking on one's phone, never mind one's computer, TV, laptop or tablet I wonder what the purpose of branches are. Clearly this is closing because it's not been used as much as it would have been in the past.”