Labour slammed for inaction as yet more banks close

LABOUR has been accused of “sitting on its hands” ahead of more mass bank branch closures.

- BY KATIE ELLIOTT

Spanish firm Santander this week confirmed 44 more UK locations would shutter for good this year, putting 291 jobs at risk.

It comes 10 months after the firm announced it was closing 95 branches, in cuts hitting 750 workers.

Last year, NatWest, Halifax, Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, TSB and Barclays closed as many as 432 branches, Which? analysis showed.

Charities have called for action as more pensioners and other digitally excluded groups face barriers to carrying out everyday banking.

Dennis Reed, of the Silver Voices pressure group, said “The government is sitting on its hands as our high streets are denuded of branches.

Sparse

“This is just the latest in a long line of closures intended to force the population on to digital banking and hasten the demise of cash.”