NEARLY three months after Barclays Bank cashed in their chips at one of its Powys branches, customers in the town are still counting the cost of closure.

Barclays shut its Llandrindod Wells branch at the end of August, citing a dwindling list of customers and usage in recent years. They delivered damming statistics such as the fact they’d identified that only 130 customers were using the Middleton Street branch exclusively for their banking in the 12 months leading up to closure.

In those 12 months, Barclays said 35 per cent of Llandrindod customers had been using nearby branches, including in Builth Wells and Newtown.

Constant “daily” queues at its nearest branch in Builth, as well as issues with paying in cheques online or via the mobile banking app, however, have led to calls from locals that closing the Llandrindod branch was premature.

“They closed the Barclays in Llandrindod because they said no-one used it, even though most days it had queues outside,” said Jamie Jones, a businessman who also serves as a Llandrindod town councillor.

“As a self-employed person it is disappointing that every time I go to their Builth branch their queues are even longer and it takes ages to pay cheques into the bank.”

Councillor Jones posted a picture of himself queuing up outside the Builth branch on the morning of October 22 – with at least seven people ahead of him lining up. And that was just outside the bank.

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“The queue behind me was even longer,” he said in the post accompanying his picture, which he shared on Facebook, which prompted a lively discussion.

“It is an unreasonable amount of wasted time out of a working day spent trying to pay money into a business account.”

Another reason provided for why Barclays was packing up in the spa town included a figure that 75 per cent of customers locally were now using other ways to do their banking, such as online.

But Cllr Jones said he and others have encountered issues with paying in cheques online or on their smart phones – problems which are likely to be exacerbated among elderly bankers.

“Barclays’ answer is scan cheques and upload them, but they won’t allow you to do that with their online banking,” he said.

“Barclays’ second answer is pay them in at the post office. Great, but the post office lost five cheques of mine and why should customers have to use the post office when the bank can’t even be bothered to deal with their own customers?”

Responding to Cllr Jones, Andrew Griffiths said: “I’d say a lot of those queuing there don’t have a smart mobile phone with that capability or the knowledge of how to do it.

“The banks are only catering for today’s abilities and generation; it must be so difficult and frustrating and even worrying for the older generation.”

A Barclays spokesperson said: “The decision to close a branch is never an easy one. However, customers are increasingly using alternatives to branches to do their banking. As a result, we are seeing a sustained fall in branch visits across the UK.

“This was reflected at the Llandrindod branch where there has been a 12 per cent reduction in counter transactions in the two years to March 2020. In addition, 75 per cent of our customers at the branch are also using different ways to bank.

County Times: Barclays in Llandrindod shut its doors in August this year Barclays in Llandrindod shut its doors in August this year

“We will work with our customers and provide alternative options to ensure they can continue to manage their money and receive financial expertise when required.

“In addition to the banking services offered by the local post office we also have Barclays representation every Tuesday from 10am-12pm at the Hive in Llandrindod to assist customers with any issues or problems relating to their banking requirements.”

Barclays says that it is allowing only three customers into the Builth branch at any one time due to continuing Covid-19 restrictions, and that customers may be required to queue externally.

In addition to having a wide range of options to complete their banking, including the Barclays app, telephone, online and video banking, everyday transactions can also be completed at the Post Office with the closest located at Station Crescent. There is also another at Hodges newsagents on Tremont Road, as well as a mobile service available at Howey Village Hall.

Barclays said it also did not make anyone redundant as a result of the Llandrindod closure, with colleagues working there offered alternative roles.

Four Barclays branches remain in Powys, including in Builth, Newtown, Welshpool and Brecon.