West Midlands bank closures causing issues for older people

A charity has warned older people are at risk of digital exclusion amid closures to more than half of the West Midlands' bank branches.

A report by Which? shows 397 branches have closed since 2015, leaving 395.

Major high street banks point to reduced visits and increased use of online and mobile banking when justifying closures.

But a regional division of Age UK says hundreds of older people face difficulties as a result.

About 40% of over-65s do not manage their money online, according to Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

In Worcester, one of a cluster of digital cafés set up by Age UK meets a growing demand from older people to learn how to access their bank accounts on tablets and computers.

One user, Janet Woodfield, said she felt "very let down and angry" by bank closures, adding the situation had caused her "great distress" because she struggled to walk and access sites easily.

Previously, she could park right outside nearby premises. Now she has to drive further away to find a bank which also requires parking to be sorted online, which, she explains, is off-putting.

Vic Reed's first hurdle is updating a laptop he hasn't used in years to access his bank account, to save himself a physical journey.

"At the same time as the bank branches are closing, the bus services are increasingly being cut," he said.

"I'm only about four miles out of town, but I may as well be forty miles."

Age UK say it wants to put on more digital sessions for people locally but needs more funding if residents are to keep up with those for whom computer use is commonplace.

UK Finance, the banking association, says 72% of UK adults use online banking, with 54% using mobile banking in 2020.

Ludlow still has a number of international banking giants in town, but Barclays closed its building on King Street last summer, citing a decline in footfall.

It has caused disruption for the regular market stall holders, including 22-year-old Jim Edwards, who regularly handles cash.

"After Barclays closed, we pay into the Post Office at the other end of town," he said.

"I think the switch to digital and cashless is inevitable, but I quite like paying in cash."

Barclays has made a return of sorts in Ludlow with a walk-in clinic in the town's library, operating for a few days a week.

Adrian Davies, customer care director, insists Barclays still provides good access to banking in the town.

The nearest operational branch, however, is 10 miles away in Leominster, but Mr Davies said: "As we reduce the number of traditional branches, we don't move away from the community, we operate in a different way.

"Those wanting to just do a transactional service, there are options available in the immediate local area through our partnerships, like the Post Office."

Barclays said it was also using video appointments and mobile vans that visited particular communities if demand for face-to-face banking was high.

Across the UK, LINK is planning to manage dozens of banking "hubs" where firms can work together in a community facility to support people struggling to access cash services.

Four have opened so far, with eight more set to open this year. None, though, are in the West Midlands.

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