The last remaining bank in Knaresborough, Halifax, was expected to close on 13 May but will now stay open if it attracts enough customers.
The initial decision to close the Halifax was made due to a 10% reduction in customer counter transactions from 2019. It sparked real concern in the town and a campaign was launched to stop the closure.
However following the pandemic the bank remained open to support local customers. Halifax has told The Stray Ferret that they plan to keep the branch open during the pandemic but will continue to review its position in the future.
A spokesperson for Halifax said:
“We do not intend to permanently close any branches in the midst of this challenging period. Our priority at this time is keeping as many branches as possible open, so that customers can continue to access cash, and ensuring that those who are vulnerable or in financial difficulty can speak to colleagues.
We continue to review our presence to ensure that our branches are located in the right places and any future closure decisions will be driven by customer behaviour.”
The future of this bank will be “driven by customer behaviour”.
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This decision will come as a relief to local residents as the closure of the Halifax bank would have left the town with no banks and only three cash machines within the town.
The Knaresborough Chamber of Trade were pleased to hear of this development. Its president Steve Teggin said:
“The towns people will be elated with the news as we’ve saved a bank and now we still have one in the town. It’s a triumph for us but we’ve also saved a cash machine too. Halifax have now got to give us some confidence that they will stay and I think that will encourage people in Knaresborough to open up accounts with them. But for residents and traders too this is great news.”
