Santander has announced today [19 March] that it is set to close 95 branches across the UK including the last remaining bank in Ilkley.
Of the 444 existing branches, along with 95 closing for good, the lender says a further 36 will operate on reduced hours branches and 18 will be "counter-free". The changes have put 750 staff at risk of redundancy.
The date for the closure of the Ilkley branch on The Grove is yet to be announced. Once closed it will reduce the number of ATMs in the town to 4: Post Office, Co-op, Tesco and Booths.
A spokesperson for Santander UK, said:
“As customer behaviour changes, we are ensuring that our branches remain fit for the future. Our new combination of full-service branches, alongside Work Cafés, counter-free branches and reduced hours branches, aims to provide the right balance between digital banking and face-to-face money management and guidance. As a business, we must move with customers and balance our investment across all the places where we interact with customers, to deliver the very best for them now and in the future.
“Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers.
However, we believe that the introduction of our new Community Bankers and the exciting plans we have for our remaining network of 349 branches and Work Cafés, alongside the rapid and innovative improvements to our award-winning mobile banking app, will provide the right balance of digital banking and human interaction when required.”
Following the changes, it says 93% of the UK population will continue to be within 10 miles of a Santander branch. All Santander current and business account holders can also bank using one of over 11,000 Post Office branches nationwide and 112 Banking Hubs. Closing branches are all within one mile of the nearest Post Office.