bank Archives - The Stray Ferret

Ripon HSBC closed for nearly two weeks for ‘essential maintenance’

Ripon’s last remaining high street bank has closed until December 13 for “essential maintenance”.

Diane Whelan (pictured), 86, was one of many disgruntled customers who arrived at the branch on the corner of High Skellgate and Westgate today to find it closed.

A sign in the window advises customers that the nearest branch is in Harrogate town centre. It adds that people can access remote banking online and on the HSBC mobile app.

The bank closed on Thursday (November 30) for essential maintenance.

Diane Whelan.

Ms Whelan told the Stray Ferret:

“This could not be more inconvenient, with Christmas just over three weeks away.

“Why couldn’t this work have been done at some other time?”

Ms Whelan has been an HSBC customer for more than 60 years and was calling to get a statement.

She said:

“I’m afraid I don’t do online and I’m sure other people like me will feel the same.”

The closure of Halifax in November 2022 left HSBC, which has no external cash machine, as the city’s only remaining bank.

Knaresborough banking hub location revealed

The new banking hub in Knaresborough will be located at 15 Kirkgate, Bowling Green Yard, it was announced today.

The hub will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks and building societies can carry out regular cash transactions.

However, an opening date is still yet to be revealed.

It will also provide a community banker service where customers can talk to their own banking provider about more complicated issues, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Community bankers will work on rotation, with a different bank or building society available on each day of the week. They are usually provided by the banking providers with the most customers in the local area.

Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash, revealed details of the hub today following longstanding concerns about bank closures in Knaresborough.

The process of finding a banking hub in Knaresborough has taken a while to come to fruition. There were hopes it would happen last year.

Gareth Oakley, chief at Cash Access UK:

“We know the new banking hub has been eagerly anticipated by the local community and so we’re delighted we’ve now been able to secure a fantastic location for you in the heart of the community.

“This brings us a significant step closer in being able to deliver improved access to cash services to individuals and businesses in Knaresborough”.

Nick Garrett, of the community benefit society Knaresborough Connectors: said the hub would reduce financial exclusion, adding:

“Many of Knaresborough’s frail residents tell us they prefer services, especially financial ones, to be face to face as online services aren’t accessible.”

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said:

“When the hub opens it will be invaluable to residents of Knaresborough, especially to those who rely on cash and face-to-face banking.”

Charlotte Gale, of Knaresborough and District Chamber said:

“Better banking and cash access within the town is something chamber are very passionate about. This is something we’ve long campaigned for and we’re thrilled that a site has now been secured.”

Cash Access UK is owned and funded by 10 of the UK’s biggest banking providers: Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Danske Bank, HSBC UK, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group, Santander, TSB and Virgin Money.

These firms have come together to provide shared services available to all their customers.

Harrogate and Ripon survive today’s cull of HSBC branches

Harrogate and Ripon have been spared its HSBC banks shutting after the company announced a raft of closures today.

The bank said it will close 114 branches from April 2023.

HSBC UK said the closures were down to a change in customer habits and that it would invest “tens of millions of pounds” in its remaining banks.

Among the closures include branches in nearby Wetherby and Skipton.

However, Ripon’s branch on Westgate and Harrogate’s on Prospect Crescent have been spared closure.

The HSBC – which has no external cash machine – is Ripon’s sole remaining bank branch after Halifax closed on November 14.

The Halifax closed less than three months after the long-established Barclays branch closed its doors for good on August 25.

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK’s managing director of UK distribution, said:

“People are changing the way they bank and footfall in many branches is at an all-time low, with no signs of it returning.

“Banking remotely is becoming the norm for the vast majority of us.

“Not only can we do it anywhere at any time of day or night, many more things can be done at the customers’ convenience and don’t rely on a branch visit.”

Building society opens new branch in Knaresborough Library

Banking services have returned to Knaresborough with the opening of a new branch of Newcastle Building Society.

The town has been without a bank for more than 18 months after the Halifax branch on Market Square closed in February 2021.

Now, Newcastle Building Society has opened a community branch in Knaresborough Library.

Its chief executive Andrew Haigh was in town yesterday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He said:

“The feedback from residents and other businesses in the town has been fantastic and we’re looking forward to establishing a long and mutually beneficial presence in the town.

“We’re facing into a cost of living crisis which will impact every household budget in the country so I can’t think of a time when it has been more important for people to have access to the face-to-face financial services they need.

“Our members tell us time and again how much they value our branch network, and whilst so many banks are closing branches, we remain absolutely committed to the high streets across our region.

Knaresborough is the fourth community branch to be opened by Newcastle Building Society, following Wooler in Northumberland, Yarm in Stockton-on-Tees, and Hawes in Richmondshire.

As well as face-to-face financial services, the Knaresborough branch is expected to offer a OneBanx multi-bank transaction terminal by the end of the year. It will offer customers from all major UK banks a way to withdraw and deposit cash.

The building society worked alongside North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council to restore banking services to the town by opening its 31st branch.

To mark becoming part of the community, Newcastle Building Society has given grants of £2,000 to Orb Community Arts and £4,000 to Chain Lane Community Hub.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Greg White, said:

“The opening of a Newcastle Building Society branch in Knaresborough library has been welcomed in the local community. They already offer a community branch within Hawes library which has proved very popular with those who need access to cash, and is a great way of multi-purposing an already well-used building.

“The offer of financial services has significantly increased footfall into Knaresborough library and is encouraging new visitors through the doors.”

Harrogate Islamic Association confident of mosque purchase as deadline looms

Harrogate Islamic Association has said it is confident of raising enough money to buy the former Home Guard Club and convert it into the town’s first mosque.

A price of £500,000 was agreed to buy the building, which is on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road, before the association obtained planning permission.

The current owner set a deadline of Monday next week to complete the sale.

The group already has several hundred thousand pounds set aside to buy the building but does not yet have enough to pay the full asking price.

After planning permission was granted last month by Harrogate Borough Council, the association launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise the extra money needed to buy the building as well as for much-needed repairs, setting a target of £200,000.

With days to go until the owner’s deadline, the crowdfunder is currently on just £18,000.

However, Zahed Amanullah, a member of the association, said there was no risk the deal could fall through because it had loans in place to cover any shortfall.

Mr Amanullah said:

“We are on our way to getting the money. It’s not all reflected in the crowdfunding campaign, which we’re extending to the end of April, which is the month of Ramadan, and will be used to pay back loans.

“We’ve been raising money from other sources, such as pledges from the community directly.

“Where there might be a shortfall, we have people to loan us the difference, so we can pay them back. Our intention is to make the payment in time with a combination of loans and crowdfunding.”

The association, which was set up in 2011, has been looking for a permanent home for several years, with previous attempts at securing a site falling through. Around 100 Muslim worshippers currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

The association also organises prayer sessions at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

Mr Amanullah said once the group has the keys to the building, the immediate focus will be on repairs and restoring original features.

All being well, it could open to the public by the end of the summer.

Knaresborough banking hub could open this year

Knaresborough’s banking hub could be open by the end of the year after a meeting last week put plans in motion.

The closure of the Halifax bank on Market Place last year left Knaresborough without a bank and just two ATMs, which often run out of cash.

In December, Knaresborough was picked to be one of five pilot areas for new shared banking hubs by the Access to Cash Action Group.

Under the scheme, a building in Knaresborough will provide help with general banking queries and more specific issues, such as power of attorney and opening accounts.

Representatives from various banks will work in the hub on a rotational basis. The hub itself will be fitted out by the Post Office.

Last week, representatives of the town including the mayor, Cllr Christine Willoughby, borough councillor Phil Ireland and Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce representative Charlotte Gale met with the action group to discuss what Knaresborough needs.

Businesses have said the town needs an additional ATM and for banks to be open later than usual business hours.

Ms Gale took these points forward to a meeting with the action group yesterday. She said:

“It’s been challenging for businesses with the pandemic but losing the last bank in Knaresborough was an additional stress. We need to manage expectations but the hub will definitely allow people to pay in and take out cash and get the advice they need.

“We’re still talking to locals about what they need, the managing groups wants to make sure the solution meets the needs of the town.”

A location for the bank is still yet to be decided. A number of empty high street units have been suggested including the former Fultons Foods unit on the high street

The former Fultons Foods

Cat Farrow, from the Access to Cash Action Group, said:

“We understand how important the new banking hub will be to Knaresborough and we’re working hard to make it happen as quickly as possible. The hub is fully funded and we’re actively exploring a number of possible sites.

“We’re confident that the banking hub will be open before the end of the year.”

To have a say on the services the banking hub offers, complete this survey.

ATM outage frustrates Knaresborough stallholders

Stallholders have vented their frustration over an ATM outage in Knaresborough’s town centre where there is no longer a bank.

Both the cash machines at the Tesco Express and the Sainsbury’s Local on the High Street are out of service today. They have reportedly been out for the past five days.

Anyone in need of cash either have to queue up at the busy Post Office in the town or head out for a 40 minute round walk to the ATM at the Co-op petrol station on Manse Lane.

Halifax closed its Knaresborough branch in March 2021. Halifax blamed changing customer habits for the closure, which left the town’s 15,000 residents without a bank.

The lack of cash availability has been felt particularly keenly today at the Knaresborough market. The market is held every Wednesday from 7.30am to 3pm in the market square.

Ted Wray, who has sold jewellery and old cash at his stall for the last three years, told the Stray Ferret:

“I think it has put people off buying things at the market today. Some of my potential customers ask if I take cards but it’s not possible when I am selling items for a couple of pounds.

“It has been very difficult. All of us in the market who do not use card machines have felt this as an issue.”

Paul Greene, who runs a fruit and vegetable stall under the name Paul Veg Man, also added:

“The ATMs have been out since Saturday. Customers have also been complaining about it, the machines don’t have any cash in them.

“It has been putting a lot of people off. We have no banks and only one post office where everyone has been sent.”

Jared Clark, who runs a bakery stall on the market with a card machine, said:

“We have had a few customers who have said they can’t get any cash, so it is not ideal. The only place is the Post Office where people often have to queue.

“Footfall is down at the moment so it is not great. Knaresborough deserves better, we need more cash points or a bank.”

The Stray Ferret asked both Tesco and Sainsbury’s why their ATMs are currently out of use. We had no response by the time of publication.

Update: A Tesco Bank spokesperson said:

“We are aware of an issue affecting the ATM at Tesco Knaresborough High Street that has caused the machine to be temporarily out of service. We are working hard to fix this and expect to have the ATM available for use again later this week. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused our customers.”

Knaresborough’s last bank to close on Monday

Knaresborough’s 15,000 population will be left without a bank on Monday when the final branch closes.

The Halifax said it was closing its Market Square branch because of changing customer habits.

The branch was meant to close in May but stayed open to support the town during the pandemic.

This decision means the nearest banks for townsfolk will be in Harrogate and Ripon, although they can withdraw money or check their balance, as well as pay in cheques and money, at the town’s High Street post office.

A Halifax spokesperson said:

“We have made the difficult decision to close Knaresborough on March 1 due to the changing ways customers choose to bank with us, which means the branch is being used less often.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”

News of the bank’s closure prompted 1,200 people to sign a petition to keep it open.

Kala Timson, who runs children’s shoe shop Stomp in the market place, said the closure would be a “big loss” to Knaresborough. She said:

“We don’t use that branch for the business but I use it for my personal banking. We now have to use the post office.

“It’s overstretched as it is and over the pandemic they’ve worked so hard but queues have been going down the street. It will affect an awful lot of people.”

The Halifax cash machine will also be removed, leaving the town with only two other cash points in the town centre.

Harrogate Borough Council ran a consultation until January 7 to gather views on Knaresborough banking services. The results are yet to be published.

The outcome will inform discussions between the council, community leaders and banking providers.

Councillor Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said:

“Sadly, we can’t stop them closing and we can’t promise anything in the future, but what we can do is put pressure on banking providers and show them that there is a need in the town.”

Knaresborough to lose its last remaining bank next year

Knaresborough is set to lose its only bank next year as Halifax announces it is planning to close the branch in spring.

The Halifax bank on Market Square was the town’s last remaining bank.

When the news of the bank’s closure broke earlier this year 1,200 people signed a petition to encourage Halifax keep it open. But the bank has said due to a decline in use it has to close.

This decision means local people and businesses will have to travel into Harrogate and Ripon to bank their money.

A Halifax spokesperson said:

“In January this year we announced that the Knaresborough Halifax branch would be closing due to a decline in use. We paused the closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, after careful consideration, the planned closures will take place between March and April 2021.”

The cash machine will also be removed leaving the town with only two other cash points in the town centre. The Knaresborough Chamber of Trade has said it is looking into potential locations for another cash machine.

It said the loss of this bank will be a “major blow” for town, the chamber’s president Steve Teggin said:

“This is a sad set of affairs, it will be a major blow for the town. We have so many new businesses that have opened up recently and they have been let down by the banking system.”

Harrogate Borough Council has said it will be launching a survey asking for residents’ views on the current banking services available in Knaresborough.

Cllr Graham Swift said “we can’t promise anything in the future” but says it is essential residents fill out the survey to show what facilities they think are necessary for the town.

Residents can fill out the survey, here, from today.

Harrogate TSB to close next month

Harrogate TSB will close next month, with the bank attributing the move to a shift in customers to online banking.

The branch on Oxford Street, which was part of the first wave of 82 TSB closures announced last year, will close on November 27 .

TSB has since announced a further 164 branch closures as part of plans to save £100 million by 2022.

When the Harrogate branch closes, the nearest TSB bank will be in Leeds.

A TSB review into the use of the Harrogate branch found 73 customers visited it regularly each month.

It also revealed weekly transactions had gone up in 2019 compared to the same time in 2016.

A notice in the bank’s window.

Debbie Crosbie, chief executive of TSB, said:

“We are reshaping our business to transform the customer experience and set us up for the future. This means having the right balance between branches on the high street and our digital platforms, enabling us to offer the very best experience for our personal and business customers across the UK.”

Another central Harrogate bank, The Co-operative Bank, is due to close by December 1. The Co-op also blamed a drop in footfall for it closure.

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more: