CLWYD West MS Darren Millar has slammed HSBC’s decision to close more than 100 branches, including Colwyn Bay.
 
The bank made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that the closures are down to “a reduction in footfall in most of the branches by more than 50%”.
 
The Colwyn Bay branch will close on August 15, 2023.

Posters will be displayed in the branch giving details of the closure, and HSBC will be writing to regular users of the branch on 23 January 2023 to provide more information about the closure, and the alternative services available to them.
 
Mr Millar said: “I am extremely disappointed to see HSBC abandoning our high streets in this way with total disregard for their customers and staff, and I am particularly concerned that Colwyn Bay is to lose another bank – having seen the closure of Barclays Bank only two months ago. Customers will have to travel over seven miles away to Llandudno if they want to see someone face-to-face - and who knows how long that branch will be open for!
 
“Whilst I recognise that more people are now banking online, there are still many people, particularly the elderly, who like to bank in person and it is a great worry that this option is being take away from them.
 
“Bank closures have been commonplace in recent years and I have repeatedly raised my concerns about this in the Senedd chamber. They impact on businesses and the whole community in general.
 
“As I have previously said, we really need to see a long term plan to secure banking services in local communities so that everyone can access face to face services close to where they live. Sharing premises, the development of partnerships with other firms, and mobile banking services may help to achieve this aim.
 
“I will be writing to HSBC to express my strong objections to these plans.”
 

It comes as HSBC has announced that it will be closing 114 branches in 2023. 

The move comes as the bank shares that more people are choosing online banking over using a physical branch to do their banking. 

HSBC found that the number of people visiting has dropped by 65% over the course of five years. 

In a statement from the bank, it said: "The decline in branch use has accelerated so much since the Covid-19 pandemic that some of the branches closing are now serving fewer than 250 customers a week."

They also shared that 97.5% of its banking transactions are now done online. 

Jackie Uhi, HSBC UK 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.

"The decision to close a branch is never easy or taken lightly, especially if we are the last branch in an area, so we’ve invested heavily in our ‘post closure’ strategy, including providing free tablet devices to selected branch customers who do not already have a device to bank digitally, alongside one-to-one coaching to help them migrate to digital banking."

Full list of HSBC banks closing in 2023

April 

  • Blandford Forum 18/04/2023
  • Bristol Downend 25/04/2023
  • Bexhill on Sea 18/04/2023
  • Leominster 25/04/2023
  • Abergavenny 18/04/2023
  • Market Bosworth 25/04/2023
  • Cromer 18/04/2023
  • Alton 25/04/2023
  • St Ives 18/04/2023
  • Shaftesbury 25/04/2023
  • St Austell 18/04/2023

May

  • Wilmslow 02/05/2023
  • Stamford 16/05/2023
  • Whitley Bay 02/05/2023
  • Whitby 16/05/2023
  • Coleraine 02/05/2023
  • Bridport 23/05/2023
  • Bideford 02/05/2023
  • Hove 23/05/2023
  • Gainsborough 02/05/2023
  • Fakenham 23/05/2023
  • Launceston 02/05/2023
  • Sudbury 23/05/2023
  • Arnold 09/05/2023
  • Liskeard 23/05/2023
  • Didcot 09/05/2023
  • Bristol Filton 30/05/2023
  • Brecon 09/05/2023
  • Dundee 30/05/2023
  • Minehead 09/05/2023
  • Waltham Cross 30/05/2023
  • Dover 09/05/2023 11
  • Hinckley Road 30/05/2023
  • Halesowen 16/05/2023
  • Market Harborough 30/05/2023
  • Stroud 16/05/2023
  • Stourport on Severn 30/05/2023
  • Brighouse 16/05/2023

June

  • Stirling 06/06/2023
  • Twickenham 20/06/2023
  • Pocklington 06/06/2023
  • Ross on Wye 20/06/2023
  • Chepstow 06/06/2023
  • Hertford 20/06/2023
  • Knutsford 06/06/2023
  • Wells 20/06/2023
  • Frome 06/06/2023
  • Bicester 20/06/2023
  • Portadown 06/06/2023
  • Oakham 20/06/2023
  • Penarth 13/06/2023
  • New Milton 27/06/2023
  • Ilkley 13/06/2023
  • Lewes 27/06/2023
  • South Shields 13/06/2023
  • Pontypool 27/06/2023
  • Skipton 13/06/2023
  • Beccles 27/06/2023
  • Honiton 13/06/2023
  • St Neots 27/06/2023
  • Sleaford 13/06/2023
  • Wadebridge 27/06/2023

July

  • Portishead 04/07/2023
  • Horsforth 18/07/2023
  • Droitwich 04/07/2023
  • Gosforth 18/07/2023
  • Leatherhead 04/07/2023
  • Harpenden 18/07/2023
  • Palmers Green 04/07/2023
  • Bognor Regis 18/07/2023
  • Coalville 04/07/2023
  • Marlow 18/07/2023
  • Park Gate Southampton 11/07/2023
  • Christchurch 25/07/2023
  • Wetherby 11/07/2023
  • Seaford 25/07/2023
  • Port Talbot 11/07/2023
  • Blackwood 25/07/2023
  • Kingswinford 11/07/2023
  • Norwich Mile Cross 25/07/2023
  • Long Eaton 11/07/2023
  • Ripley 25/07/2023
  • Bromborough 18/07/2023
  • Tonbridge 25/07/2023

August

  • Bristol Westbury on Trym 01/08/2023
  • Bethnal Green 15/08/2023
  • Ormskirk 01/08/2023
  • Hornchurch 15/08/2023
  • Putney 01/08/2023
  • Colwyn Bay 15/08/2023
  • Ashton under Lyne 01/08/2023
  • Dorchester 22/08/2023
  • Kenilworth 01/08/2023
  • Morley 22/08/2023
  • Reigate 08/08/2023
  • Wymondham 22/08/2023
  • North Finchley 08/08/2023
  • Ryde 22/08/2023
  • Cirencester 08/08/2023
  • Windsor 22/08/2023
  • Henley on Thames 08/08/2023
  • Cardiff Rhyd y Penau 29/08/2023
  • Denbigh 08/08/2023
  • Leighton Buzzard 29/08/2023
  • 122 Finchley Road 15/08/2023
  • Eastwood 29/08/2023
  • Chippenham 15/08/2023

Branches with no date for their closure

  • Oxted
  • Hythe
  • Epworth
  • Cowbridge
  • Holsworthy
  • Settle
  • Tenby