
A major high street bank has announced plans to close dozens of branches this month – including eight next week – in a further blow to the high street.Lloyds Bank confirmed it will close 27 branches in May as a result of declining face-to-face transactions.
Lloyds Bank and Halifax are to close 207 branches this year. Consumer champion Which? reported that since January 2015, more than 6,300 bank and building society branches have closed, at an average of 53 every month.
Lloyds Bank explained on their website: “Most customers are now using our mobile banking app, internet banking or calling us instead. This means they are using branches less.”
According to MoneyWeek, the closures will mean there are only 756 Lloyds Banking Group branches left in the UK, a big change from over 2,200 locations a decade ago.
A number of high street banks have shut branches recently for similar reasons to those given by Lloyds Bank.
These include NatWest, which is closing 53 branches in the first half of 2025, Barclays, which will close 99 branches by the end of the year, and Santander, which announced plans to close 95 branches nationwide.
Andrew Beverly, Campaign Director at Campaign for Cash, told MoneyWeek: “It’s very disappointing that Lloyds Banking Group continue to whittle down their branch numbers, not everyone can or indeed wants to bank online, and this is doing hollowing out communities up and down the country, with the greatest impact in rural areas.”
He continued: “Banking hubs, which are supposed to fill the gap left by the big banks, although laudable, are only a drop in the ocean and the rollout needs to be turbocharged to meet the in-person banking needs of people across the UK.”
Anyone affected by the high street bank closures have been pointed towards “Banking Hubs”, set up to provide access to cash and basic banking service for all customers, regardless of who they bank with.
Your nearest hub can be located here.
Lloyds branches to shut next week:
- Launceston – May 12
- Pontyclun – May 12
- New Milton – May 13
- Wetherby – May 13
- Margate – May 14
- Newland University – May 14
- Alnwick – May 15
- Prudhoe – May 15
The full list of Lloyds Bank closures in May with closing dates is below:
- Beccles – May 6
- Bromsgrove – May 7
- Louth – May 7
- Matlock – May 7
- Southampton Shirley – May 7
- Bishop Auckland – May 8
- Leyland – May 8
- Launceston – May 12
- Pontyclun – May 12
- New Milton – May 13
- Wetherby – May 13
- Margate – May 14
- Newland University – May 14
- Alnwick – May 15
- Prudhoe – May 15
- Sherborne – May 19
- South Elmsall – May 19
- Bridgnorth – May 20
- Ludlow – May 20
- Rayleigh – May 20
- Bristol Clifton – May 21
- Herne Bay – May 21
- Fulham – May 27
- Bolton Farnworth – May 28
- Bristol Patchway – May 28
- Cardiff Whitchurch – May 29
- Godalming – May 29