Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure the continued presence of commercial retail banking services in St Agnes, Cornwall; and whether they will investigate proposals by Barclays to close the only remaining retail banking branch in that area.

Officials at the Department for Business have discussed with Barclays the rationale for the proposed closure of its branch in St Agnes. Ultimately, however, the decision on whether to retain a branch in the town is a matter for the management of the bank who will need to balance customer interests, market competition and other commercial factors.

The Government, nonetheless, recognises that bank branch closures can have a significant impact on customers, particularly vulnerable customers such as the elderly, the disabled, those on low incomes, and small businesses. It is therefore pressing the banking sector to finalise a new branch closure protocol.

The Government is also clear that there is an important role to play for Post Office in maintaining communities’ physical access to banking services. Barclays (and most other banks) have commercial arrangements in place with Post Office allowing personal current account customers to withdraw money and deposit cash and cheques at Post Office branches, including the one in St Agnes. Approximately 95% of UK personal account customers are already able to access banking services at the Post Office, and negotiations are underway to increase this coverage to closer to 100%.