Barclays to permanently CLOSE their Corby branch

The bank said it only has 34 customers who regularly exclusively use the branch instead of online services
The Corby Barclays branch in Queen's SquareThe Corby Barclays branch in Queen's Square
The Corby Barclays branch in Queen's Square

The Corby branch of Barclays will shut in August.

The bank has written to community leaders today (Friday, May 6) that it will cease its branch services in Queen’s Square in the summer.

Customer care director Steve Mitchell told them in a statement that it had ‘not been an easy decision’ to close the long-standing branch.

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The bank claimed that the pandemic had accelerated a 56 per cent reduction in those using the Corby branch and that only 34 customers used the counter for all their banking instead of online or phone services.

Councillor Mark Pengelly, whose ward encompasses the town centre, said he was very upset that the bank was withdrawing its services from the tow.

It’s the latest in a string of closure across the country as customers gradually change the way they bank, but is likely to come as a blow to older members of the community who prefer to deal in cash, or businesses who regularly use services. It may also make customers more vulnerable to fraud as cashiers will not be able to intervene if suspiciously large sums of money are being transferred.

In his statement, Mr Mitchell said: “The way people bank today is unrecognisable from 50 years ago when almost every banking transaction took place in a branch. Now, that number is less than 10 per cent and we need to make sure that we are providing our services in ways that best reflect customers’ needs, including outside of traditional branch formats.

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“This ongoing change in behaviour means we are seeing a sustained fall in customer transactions across our network and this is reflected at the Corby branch where there has been a 56 per cent reduction in counter transactions in the two years to March 2020.

"In addition, we can identify that 90 per cent of our customers at the branch are using alternative ways in which to undertake their banking, including via the telephone, online and mobile app.”

Customers can still use to Post Office inside B&M for day-to-day transactions.

The statement said that there would still be an ‘active presence’ in the community via ‘touchpoints’ and face-to-face banking at a ‘community location’ although no further details have yet been released of what that might mean for customers.

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The statement continued: “We have identified that in total 34 regular customers use this branch exclusively for their banking and do not interact with us in other ways. We will be making personal contact with all regular branch users to discuss their options.

It’s believed Barclays have had a branch in Corby since around the time the town centre was built in the 1950s, making it one of Corby’s longest standing businesses.

Cllr Mark Pengelly said: “I’m very upset that Barclays are closing. A lot of people in Corby do not want to use online services and will be worried about how they’re going to be able to bank in the future.”

The bank closed its Rushden branch last year and its branch in nearby Uppingham in 2019. Branches in Kettering and Market Harborough will remain open.

Barclays confirmed in a statement to this newspaper that no jobs will be lost.

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