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New closure leaves town with no bank
Natwest Bank, on Station Street, Swinton, is closing down. Picture: Andrew Roe
NATWEST is to close its branch in Swinton - leaving the town without a bank.
Customers are now facing a trip to Mexborough or Conisbrough when the Station Road branch closes in April.
This will be the fourth bank to close in the town in recent years, and the decision was blasted this week by local MP John Healey.
Mr Healey said: “This will be a blow to NatWest customers in Swinton who value having a branch near to where they live.
“I want to know what process RBS have gone through in coming to this decision and the evidence it is based on.
“At a time when trust in banks is low, they should not be getting more and more remote from the people they are serving.”
In recent years other banks, notably teh Halifax, Yorkshire Bank and Santander all closed their branches in the town..
Swinton councillor Ken Wyatt said: “We have lost a few banks over recent years and now there is no walk-in banking services in the town.
“There are cash machines yes, but that is no good for other services such as cashing cheques.”
A spokeswoman for Natwest said the branch will close on April 16.
She said: “Closing a branch is not a decision we take lightly, however customers do not use the branch as much as they used to and unfortunately demand no longer justifies keeping the branch open.
“Many customers are now choosing alternative ways of banking, such as 24 hour online and telephone services and our smartphone banking app.
“For those customers who prefer a branch banking service, our branch at Mexborough is just over a mile away or, alternatively, Conisbrough, Goldthorpe and Rotherham Corporation Street or Markets branches are also nearby.
Customers can also access their money at the Post Office in Swinton or any other Post Office branch, as well as at another 50 ATMs within less than two miles.”
She added there will be no job losses and staff will transfer to other branches.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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