The Petition of residents of Suffolk Coastal and the wider Suffolk area,
Declares that Barclays Bank has stated that it is likely to close a significant amount of its branches; further that the Petitioners believe that rural areas like Suffolk are likely to be more at risk of branch closures; further that the Martlesham Heath Barclays branch was closed last year; further that the Petitioners believe that the Halesworth, Southwold, Saxmundham, Leiston, Aldeburgh, Woodbridge and Felixstowe branches could be under threat; and further that in Aldeburgh and Leiston the Barclays branches are the last banks left on the high street.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to encourage Barclays to keep open their remaining branches in Suffolk Coastal.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Dr Thérèse Coffey, Official Report, 22 July 2014; Vol. 584, c. 11P.]
[P001383]
Observations from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Treasury:
The Government thank Therese Coffey MP for her petition on the potential closure of Barclays branches in Suffolk Coastal and the wider Suffolk area.
The Government are sorry to hear about the disappointment of the residents of Suffolk Coastal at the closure of the Martlesham Heath Barclays branch last year and worries that further branch closures may follow. Although we can understand their concerns, decisions on opening and closing agencies are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. As with other banking service providers, Barclays will need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering its strategy and the Government do not seek to intervene in these decisions.
It may be useful to note that many bank account providers already have an arrangement with the Post Office to provide access to their bank accounts, where customers can withdraw money, deposit cash and cheques and check balances at all 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.