Last bank closure 'will hit older residents'

Residents have expressed concern over the closure of a town's last bank.

NatWest announced its Windermere branch in the Lake District would close on 1 May, meaning people will have to travel 10 miles (16km) to Kendal or 20 miles (32km) to Keswick for their nearest bank.

Mayor Christine Hallatsch said while older people could pay bills at the Post Office, there was a risk it could become overwhelmed as it was so small, adding: "It's going to be horrendous."

NatWest said transactions made by customers at the Windermere branch had fallen by 62% in the last five years.

Hallatsch, a town councillor, said she was concerned about people who were not able to bank online.

"Yes, online banking is the norm nowadays but in our area our old-aged pensioners don't know how to online bank, some don't have a bank account at all, they just go to the bank and pay [their bills]."

She said having no banks Cumbrian towns like Windermere would have "a massive impact" and she wanted NatWest to rethink its stance.

One 85-year-old resident told the BBC she was concerned for those who were not "computer literate", including herself.

Sharon Gregg, from the Steve Barr Flooring Solutions shop, said the move did not come as a surprise.

"It's inconvenient to say the least but it just seems to be the way - it's the last bank that we've got."

People were also concerned about the future of the NatWest building on High Street.

Barclays closed three years ago and the building has remained empty, leading to concerns the same could happened.

NatWest said once the branch closed it would be put it up for sale, although it would only affect the ground floor as the upper floors were residential.

A spokesman said it was aware a "small number of people" were "not comfortable" with online banking and it had reached out to 200,000 across the country to offer support.

They added: "Like any business, we strive to meet our customers' changing needs and expectations and we've been responding to the industry-wide shift towards digital services by investing to broaden what customers can do themselves and to offer them greater personalisation."

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