Lloyds have confirmed that they have ‘no plans’ to close the Llantwit Major branch in the wake of news this summer that the banking group is to close 200 branches across the country.
The Lloyds Llantwit Major branch is the last High Street bank branch left in the town following the closure of HSBC, Natwest and Barclays branches. High Street banks are no longer obliged by industry rules to keep the ‘last bank in town’ open, putting Llantwit at risk of having no bank at all.
In a letter to Vale MP Alun Cairns, Lloyd’s explained that “(While) we have no plans to close our Llantwit Major branch. I trust you will understand this could be subject to change in the future as all of our branches are reviewed continually.”
Alun Cairns and Llantwit Major Councillor Tony Bennett gave a cautious welcome to Lloyds’ statement. Mr Cairns said, “It is good news that, at a time when Lloyds are closing hundreds of branches across the country, that Llantwit Major’s last bank branch is to remain open.
“High Street bank branches are important for local businesses, sports clubs and individuals. Llantwit cannot be without one.”
Coun Bennett said, “Llantwit has suffered disproportionately from bank closures when compared to other towns. I would like to see local people using the Lloyds branch as much as possible to negate the future risk of closure. Otherwise, we could find ourselves bankless in future.”