Burton Latimer residents face being left without bank

Barclays Bank :Burton Latimer: Barclays Bank, High St
Wednesday 23rd January 2013 ENGNNL00120130123105555 — Barclays Bank :Burton Latimer: Barclays Bank, High St Wednesday 23rd January 2013 ENGNNL00120130123105555

The bank in High Street is the only one left in the town, but it has indicated its plans to close on December 1.

There are no building societies in Burton Latimer either.

A petition to keep it open has amassed 1,400 signatures, and Burton Latimer town councillor Maureen Jerram says many rely on it.

Cllr Jerram said: “Considering Burton Latimer isn’t that big, to get so many signatures is brilliant.

“But it’s not just the people in Burton Latimer that rely on it, there’s those in places like Finedon and Isham too.

“We have all worked very, very hard to try and make them think again.

“I shall be very disappointed if they don’t take note of the petition.”

Barclays says a fall in numbers using the branch, with just 82 using it exclusively for their banking, means it will close.

But Cllr Jerram says with Burton Latimer growing as a town, the importance of a bank too increases.

She said: “Whenever I have been in there for the town council there have always been others in there too.

“It will be difficult for the older people who use the bank, certainly.

“We are a growing town with masses of new buildings and houses and we need a bank.”

Barclays say 64 per cent of Burton Latimer’s customers have used neighbouring branches in the past year, with the number using other ways of banking up from 61 per cent in 2012 to 78 per cent at present.

The town’s Post Office offers a limited banking facility, with those wanting to visit a bank having to travel to Kettering or Wellingborough.

Barclays closed its bank in another of the A6 towns, Desborough, in 2015.

A decision statement by Barclays outlining the planned closure said: “Before we make the decision to close any branch, we think carefully about how it has been used so far.

“We consider how many customers have been visiting, what kind of transactions they’ve been making, and all the other ways they’ve been choosing to bank with us.

“We also take into consideration the availability of other branches in the wider community.”