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Barclays Bank has said its staff will be based at Caerphilly Library for three days a week when it closes its town centre branch in October this year.
In a text sent to customers, it said that from October 16, staff will be on hand every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9.30am and 4.30pm (with the library closed for lunch between 1pm and 2pm).
There will be no cash service, but staff will be able to help people with their banking services.
Customers can drop-in, or make an appointment via the bank’s website.
Cllr Jamie Pritchard, deputy leader of Caerphilly County Borough and member for the Morgan Jones ward, said the local authority requested a meeting with Barclays when the branch closure was announced.
He said: “The council is stepping into support customers by freeing up space in Caerphilly Library and my thanks go to the library service for their efforts.
“We hope customers who rely on face-to-face engagement will at least be offered some level of service.
“We know the future of High Street banks have been heading in one direction for many years, so any options to at least mitigate these closures, has to be considered in order to support residents.”
The Caerphilly branch of Barclays, on Cardiff Road, will close permanently on October 13 this year. Its closure was announced last month shortly followed by that of Halifax.
According to information published by the banking giant, 88% of people who use the branch also banked using online or telephone services and that just 12 customers regularly use the branch as their only means of banking.
Barclays’ latest closure announcement is the third this year following Bargoed, which closed in April, and Risca, which will close its doors for good on May 17 next year.
The closure is the latest to in a long line from the major banking groups. Blackwood’s HSBC branch closed on July 25, after its closure was announced in November last year.
Banking hubs
Despite losing Barclays, Caerphilly town still has several other banks on its streets – other towns such as Risca are often without any face-to-face banking facilities.
In Bargoed, Barclays staff regularly hold surgeries in the library, while Lloyds operates a mobile bank to visit areas where it used to have branches.
Other towns left without a bank and a significant post office, such as Risca, qualify to have a banking hub – a new scheme run by LINK, the organisation which operates the UK’s cash machine network
What is a banking hub?
There are currently four banking hubs up and running in the UK at the moment in Devon, Lanarkshire, Yorkshire and Essex. Around 100 locations have been earmarked for a banking hub – including Risca, which will likely open once Barclays closes next year.
Banking hubs are a shared banking space, similar to a traditional bank branch, but available to everyone. The hub will consist of a counter service operated by Post Office employees, where customers of any bank can withdraw and deposit cash, make bill payments and carry out regular banking transactions.
There will also be private spaces where customers can speak to staff from their own bank for more complicated matters on set days.
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