Reverend volunteers to host bank in church as final branch in Hadleigh to close
She says the closure will leave older people isolated
An Essex priest has criticised news that Lloyds bank will leave Hadleigh in September, saying it will leave the town with no local bank branches.
Lloyds Banking Group say the decision was made "because customers are using it less often... and the majority of customers are also using alternative ways to bank."
Reverend Ruth Cartwright, who oversees St James and St Barnabas churches in the town, says older people may struggle to adapt: “Personally I’m able to bank online but there are still times when you need to go into a bank and talk to someone if you’re dealing with something more complex.
"Many of the members of my congregations, and others who live in the Hadleigh area, are older and less likely to be using phone apps or banking online.
“For example, I think of someone like my mum, who’s very bright, but is elderly. She finds picking up new things difficult sometimes. I don’t want to generalise about older people, but it can be harder for them to pick up these new methods and to actually trust the systems and feel that it’s okay to pay your bills online.”
She says the closure is made worse by the fact that there are no longer any banks in the neighbouring areas of Benfleet and Thundersley either: “Now the closest banks are either in Rayleigh or Leigh. To get to Rayleigh you’d have to drive and it’s not easy to park. You could catch a bus to Leigh but that may not be ideal when previously you could just walk into the bank whilst doing your other shopping.”
As well as ease of access, Ruth points out there's also a social element in going to the bank for older people: "Older people can tend to be more isolated… and a little trip to the shops and bank helps with that, especially in Hadleigh, where you always bump into someone you know. It’s good for mental health.”
She doesn't think it's fair to force people to become comfortable with technology or have to take a longer journey to bank in person: “I agree that numbers of people going into the banks have declined, but as a bank, they’re providing a service.
"People are giving them their money, which they can then invest and make more money from, so I think they owe their customers a decent service which should consist of some opportunity for face-to-face contact.”
Lloyds have told their customers they'll be able to bank in person at the local Post Office, but Ruth doesn't think this is a good enough alternative: "The post office is already inside the pharmacy – it’s not got it’s own shop front – and it’s always got long queues.”
Instead, she's suggesting an alternative solution: “I do wonder whether the churches could offer to host a bank for a morning or two a week? I don’t know whether my church would be the right fit as we don’t have a church hall, but I’d definitely be willing to try.”