Barclays announces plans to close hub site in Seahouses
Barclays has announced it will be closing its Local service in Seahouses at the end of November.
The decision, which comes after the village’s branch closed in 2023, will mean customers face a lengthy trip to alternative services in Alnwick or Amble.
The cashless Barclays Local service operates out of The Hub on Stone Close and gives customers the opportunity to speak to staff face-to-face.
Barclays has blamed the move on an increasing number of customers choosing to bank digitally.
However, local councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, who represents the Bamburgh ward, called on the company to reverse the decision.
He said: “This is devastating news for Seahouses and the north Northumberland coast which is still reeling from the closure of our last bank in 2023.
“I recognise more people are using internet banking but for members of our older population this is a vital service. The nearest hub will be in Alnwick which is a two hour round trip by bus.
“I’m calling on Barclays to keep a service in Seahouses even if it’s only one day a week. Otherwise they are abandoning their customers here in North Northumberland.”
In an email to Cllr Renner-Thompson, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Barclays said: “Barclays Locals were introduced as a flexible, cashless, way to support customers with their in-person banking needs.
“We regularly review our services and adapt to demand from customers. As the number of shared banking hubs grow, and our customers increasingly choose to bank digitally, the number of customers visiting our Locals has changed.
“We will contact customers who have visited our Local recently to let them know the banking alternatives that are available.”
The Barclays Local Service will be withdrawn on November 28.
A spokesman for Barclays said: “Increasingly our customers who were visiting the Seahouses Local have been choosing alternative ways to undertake their banking.
“These include online, mobile and telephone banking, where our colleagues are there to support our customers six days a week, or choosing to go in person to alternative options such as the banking hubs at Alnwick and Amble where our colleagues are supported by a full counter service.”