The fight to keep the last bank in Wibsey open continues. Not only is the Santander Bank in Wibsey Village the last remaining bank in Wibsey but it is the last in the whole of Bradford South Constituency.
While more people are using computer and telephone banking high street banks still provide an essential service, especially but not exclusively, to older and vulnerable members of the community. We have spoken to hundreds of people and many businesses who recognise the importance of having a bank they can physically access.
Judith Cummins, MP for Bradford South and myself met with representatives from Santander to express our concerns at their proposals and to ask them to think again. Following this meeting we wrote a joint letter to the bank and I am publishing the text of this letter below.
The fight goes on, petitions are available at shops in Wibsey and on line at http://chng.it/FPXDCKRbRm. We are committed to trying to get this decision reversed and to work with the local community in their efforts to retain this essential high street presence. Please consider writing to the bank personally to express your concerns and opposition to the planned closure.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Letter From Judith Cummins MP and Councillor David Green to Santander
Santander Bank
9 Nelson Street
Bradford
BD1 5AN
Dear Sir / Ms
Re: Proposed Closure Of Wibsey Santander Branch
Judith Cummins MP and I met with Santander Directors last week to discuss the proposed closure of the Wibsey Branch of the bank. At that meeting I specifically asked if the closure was a done deal and was told that there was a consultation process underway, the implication being that the bank was listening to concerns and could be persuaded to review its initial decision. I am therefore writing this as a submission to the announced consultation, supporting the petition being collected in person and online.
The Wibsey bank is not only the last bank in Wibsey but the last bank in Bradford South. We have seen a gradual but accelerating reduction in local access to direct banking services across the constituency over the past few years and in Wibsey in particular. From your own figures the nearest bank to Wibsey is now over 3 miles away and the distance, should this closure go ahead, for other parts of the constituency will be either further.
Much has been made of the Post Office as an alternative for those who wish/need to use a counter service. This suggestion, whilst it may be technically correct, appears to be a generalisation that does not reflect the geography of the Village. Whilst there is a Post office in Wibsey it is several hundred yards away from the commercial and residential centre of the village and significantly further from most of the sheltered and supported housing in the village and the area where most of the population (many of whom are elderly) live. The nearest other Post Office to the other end of the village is at the bottom of an extremely steep hill at Bankfoot. The age profile and the geography of the village combined with the location of the Post Offices makes the generalised statements from both the Bank and the Post Office impractical and unreasonable in relation to Wibsey.
At the meeting the Bank reiterated their commitment to access to cash, yet the bank closure will mean that there will only be one free to use cash dispenser in the village (the one at the Post Office is subject to the same caveats as above). At present it is not unusual for the free cash machine at the Co-Op to be out of order which would mean that there would be no free cask dispenser available in the Village.
We were told that there has been a significant drop in customers using the bank in person since 2017; figures provided were for 2017-19 to avoid any Covid effect over the past year. We recognise that more and more people are using phone and online banking but do not feel that we have yet reached the tipping point where local branches can be closed without a significant social and financial impact for the local community.
It is clear that, for its size, the bank is well used and valued by people in the village and the surrounding area as there is no other bank within miles. Whilst the number of visits to the bank has reduced the figures would appear to indicate that there are still significant numbers of people using it every day. The Banks figures for Wibsey account holders, whilst indicating that a significant number of people use phone and internet banking exclusively or significantly also show that a greater number visit the bank for transactions on a regular and semi-regular basis. Apart from encouraging and supporting these customers to make greater use of the alternatives to personal face to face transactions the bank offered no recognition of the needs and preferences of these clients. As the bank is the last in the Village and the last in the immediate area there is no alternative available to these customers and whilst the administrative logic for the bank may seem reasonable on paper, the reality for peoples’ lives that will be affected is not.
The local hesitation about the use of on line services in the area has been recognised by the bank who have stated that there are over 2000 customers who you have identified as needing support and help to adopt new forms of banking. It is not clear how this figure was arrived at but we suspect that this may be an underestimate. Under the current lockdown conditions it is not clear how, or even if, you will be able to provide this support prior to your proposed closing date and there appears to be no Plan B as to how such help and support will be provided.
From our own experience during the local campaign there is a preference locally for physical rather than internet / social media contact. The petition is in demand on paper and we have four to five times the number of signatures on the paper petition than on the one on line. This is despite many of the outlets where paper petitions would normally be available being closed.
It is not clear to us, or any of the residents in the area, why this branch has been selected for closure in light of the information that has been noted above. We note that the building has recently been put up for sale and that the particulars in the sales information indicate that the bank has a lease until 2023. We assume that this indicates that you are not taking advantage of a lease break and, subject to any negotiations, Santander will still have a liability on the site for the next two years.
We recognise the increase in people using online and phone services, and the increased competition from banks that trade solely on the internet but we have seen no evidence that the population in Wibsey and your cliental have bought into the new ways of banking in a way that would justify the closure of the branch without significant financial and social consequences for the local community. There has been no analysis of the effect of this proposed closure on the fabric of the village and the social and economic consequences for the people and businesses that live and trade there.
We hope that we are correct that Santander are carrying out a consultation process as stated and we would ask that the decision to close the Wibsey Branch of the bank be reversed for the reasons stated above. The bank is a key economic, social and community anchor not just for the village of Wibsey but, as the only bank branch for miles. To remove this last bank in Wibsey and in the whole of Bradford South would be to abandon a significant portion of the population with no alternative on offer for a local physical bank.
Yours sincerely
Cllr D Green Judith Cummins MP
Councillor Wibsey Ward Bradford South
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