SHUTTERS DOWN Major high street bank confirms 19 new branch closures from this winter – is your local going?

A MAJOR high street bank has confirmed that 19 more of its branches will shut for good this winter.

NatWest Group is bringing the shutters down in multiple locations from February 2024.

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The closures come as big banks look to move more of their services online.

The NatWest banking group which cooperates out of NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank branches has closed 402 bank branches since May 2022.

RBS has announced the closure of another branch in November 2024 at 23 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

NatWest will also close 18 of its branches in the new year. Here’s the full list of locations closing next:

• Water Lane, Bakewell – February 22
• Bristol Road, South Birmingham – March 5
• Chiswick High Road, London – February 20
• Castle Street, Dudley- March 7
• New Line, Bradford – February 21
• Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich – February 22
• High Street, Maldon- March 7
• Marine Road Central, Morecambe – February 28
• Prescot Road, Liverpool – March 5
• Moor Street, Ormskirk – February 27
• Taff Street, Pontypridd – February 29
• High Street, East Redcar – February 20
• High Street, Rickmansworth – February 29
• Piccadilly, London – March 6
• High Street, Rochester – March 6
• Victoria Road, Surbiton – February 21
• High Street, Wednesfield – February 28
• Station Parade, London – February 27

Data from the UK’s largest cash machine network, LINK, keeps track of any planned branch closures across the UK.

It comes following dozens more by several major banks, including HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Virgin Money and Halifax.

Many people, particularly the elderly, still rely on in-person services and the closures will make it more difficult for this demographic to access services.

But there are still a number of ways in which affected customers can access basic banking services without having to venture to the next town.

You can use one of the Post Office’s 11,635 branches to perform basic banking tasks — but not open new bank accounts or take personal loans and mortgages.

Many banks also offer a mobile banking service. This is where your bank brings a bus to your local area that has the services that are usually available at your branch.

You should call up your bank to see if it runs a banking bus and they will be able to tell you where and when it will be parked.

Other banks use buildings such as village halls or libraries to offer mobile banking services.

Banking hubs, which offer traditional shared services, have also been set up in four locations around the UK to help plug the gap — in Brixham, Cambuslang, Cottingham and Rochford.

Banking hubs, which offer traditional shared services, have also been set up in eight locations around the UK to help plug the gap — in Acton, Brixham, Buckingham, Cambuslang, Carnoustie, Cottingham, Rochford and Troon.

There are plans to open dozens more hubs across the UK.

How many new banking hubs are planned?

The first four banking hubs were succesfully piloted last year in Brixham, Cambuslang, Cottingham and Rochford.

Four more have opened in Acton, Buckingham, Carnoustie and Troon.

Following further branch closures LINK, the UK’s Cash Access and ATM network, has identified a further 54 locations which require banking hubs.

There are 37 banking hubs planned for England in:

• Ampthill, Bedfordshire
• Axminster, Devon
• Barnoldswick, Lancashire
• Barton, North Lincolnshire
• Belper, Derbyshire
• Bury Park, Bedfordshire
• Cheadle, Staffordshire
• Clay Cross, Derbyshire
• Downham Market, Norfolk
• Earlestown, Merseyside
• Elland, West Yorkshire
• Haslemere, Surrey
• Helston, Cornwall
• Heywood, Rochdale
• Hornsea, East Yorkshire
• Horwich, Bolton
• Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
• Knaresborough, Harrogate
• Looe, Cornwall
• Lutterworth, Leicestershire
• Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
• Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
• Maryport, Cumbria
• Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
• Oakham, Rutland
• Otley, West Yorkshire
• Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
• Shirebrook, Derbyshire
• Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
• Sidmouth, Devon
• Stapleford, Nottinghamshire
• Syston, Leicestershire
• Ware, Hertfordshire
• Watton, Norfolk
• Welling, London
• Wellington, Somerset
• Withernsea, East Yorkshire

A single banking hub is planned in Northern Ireland in:

• Kilkeel, County Down

Nine banking hubs are planned for Scotland in:

• Brechin, Angus
• Carluke, South Lanarkshire
• Crieff, Perth and Kinross
• Cumnock, East Ayrshire
• Forres, Moray
• Girvan, South Ayrshire
• Jedburgh, Scottish Borders
• Kilwinning, North Ayrshire
• Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway

Seven banking hubs are planned for Wales in:

• Abergele, Conwy
• Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent
• Porthcawl, Bridgend
• Prestatyn, Denbighshire
• Risca, Caerphilly
• Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Welshpool, Powys

There isn’t a set date for when these hubs are expected to open but it’s expected that they’ll be up and running within the next 12 months.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk