MODBURY’S district councillor has signed a joint letter to Lloyds Bank explaining ‘it’s not acceptable to walk away’ from the town.

The bank has confirmed that branches in Modbury, Salcombe, South Brent and Dartmouth are to permanently close their doors in March 2017, to be replaced with a mobile banking service.

In Modbury, a social media campaign to ’Keep Lloyds Bank in Modbury’ is active, with a poll asking people to respond to the question, ’Do you believe Lloyds bank should reconsider its decision to close the Modbury branch?’

The page has now had more than 600 hits and received numerous comments from concerned residents and businesses.

The campaign has received support from Modbury Parish Council and other district councillors in affected towns, who have written the letter calling on Lloyds to ‘sit around a table and discuss’ the closure.

Cllr Lindsay Ward, district councillor for Charterlands ward said: ‘Modbury is a local centre and the bank is the engine of the town.

‘It is used by locals, businesses and the parish council. And for people who live in Bigbury, Kingston, Ringmore and other remote villages, the bank is essential.

‘There are lots of people who still aren’t comfortable with online banking and a personal face-to-face service is important when dealing with money.

‘Banks perform a symbolic function, and they clearly state that the town has its own economy. It’s important for the banks to keep a high street presence and the banks have to recognise the importance of this.’

Cllr Ward has met with Modbury Parish Council to discuss the proposed closure. And Cllr George Rosevear has written a statement on behalf of the parish council, taking issue with Lloyds’ claim that customers have changed their banking habits.

He said: ‘Most of the Modbury customers are of an age when face-to-face banking is their preference. Equally many of these customers do not use computers or even mobile phones on a day-to-day basis, let alone for the mysteries of online banking.’

Cllr Rosevear disputed the claim made by Lloyds’ Ivybridge branch manager that Modbury sees a daily footfall of 15 customers, stating that the branch is often busy on the two days a week when it is open.

Cllr Rosevear said: ‘Modbury still has a Post Office, but ironically the Post Office is reducing its counter positions from two to one. At least some customers will be able to stay in town; but I guess queues will lengthen.

‘A good number of Modbury residents do not drive and are able to walk into the town; now they will have to work out which of the limited bus services to use to try and get to either Kingsbridge or Ivybridge. Clearly, Kingsbridge will bear the brunt, if only because of the bus service.

‘Those in surrounding villages, whose bus service is even more limited will need to try and plan even more carefully. It is unlikely to be easy.

‘The promised mobile service is unlikely to adequately take account of these vagaries and based on another bank’s similar service is too likely to wither and die.’

Cllr Rosevear continued: ‘Businesses, clubs and societies who need to use the bank to deposit cash or to get change are going to find themselves exposed to the limits of a willing Post Office and the risks, often uninsured, and weight of carrying cash a much greater distance, doubtless causing anxiety for the carrier, many of whom are no spring chickens!

‘It would seem that in pursuit of corporate efficiency and profitability, the needs of the many customers have been put to the back of the queue. It is a black day for the black horse and Modbury as it gallops out of the rural heart land of the South Hams,’ Cllr Rosevear added.

South Hams Council chairman Cllr Peter Smerdon, has now written to Andy Hetherington, Lloyds Bank’s south west business manager.

In his letter, he said: ‘My fellow local ward members and I are very concerned at Lloyds Bank’s recently announced plans to close branches across the South Hams, at Dartmouth, Salcombe, Modbury and South Brent.

‘Closure of the latter three will leave our residents of these towns with no physical access to banking facilities. Lloyds customers, particularly those businesses that deposit cash, will have to travel to Totnes, Kingsbridge or Ivybridge. Many small businesses operating in the tourism sector have customers who often pay by cash.

‘While the trend may be to Internet banking many of your customers in these rural towns are elderly and very unlikely to use this method. Broadband internet connections in country areas are also notoriously poor.

‘The British Bankers Association’s ‘access to banking protocol’ lists criteria that have to be met and measures put in place before branches can be closed, residents need assurances that this protocol has been followed correctly.

‘South Hams Council members in the affected towns have asked that we facilitate a meeting with Lloyds senior staff as a matter of urgency so that you can explain the reasoning behind these proposed closures, and we can explore any ways that can mitigate the effects on our residents and your customers, effectively the same people.’

The Modbury businessman who setup the social media campaign, Alex Hammerstein said: ’It’s not good news for the town. I use the branch twice a week, like everyone in the town with a business who has to bank takings.

’I do a lot of banking online, but I still have to use the branch for certain things. They say people will be able to use the Post Office, but that is being refurbished and will go down to one till, and they haven’t gone into any detail.

’There are a lot of older people in Modbury who don’t use internet banking and don’t want to use it. What are they supposed to do? They’ll have to go into Ivybridge or Kingsbridge, which might be difficult.

’The other thing is, Modbury is expanding. We are supposed to be a service centre for all the surrounding villages and we don’t even have a bank. It’s pathetic.’

A spokesman for Lloyds Bank said: ’We can confirm that we will be closing our branches in Modbury, South Brent, Salcombe and Dartmouth in March next year. These branches have been identified for closure because of the changing way customers choose to bank with us.

’The majority of customers now regularly use alternative branches or use other ways to bank, such as using online and telephone banking to complete their banking needs.

’We apologise for any inconvenience that these changes may cause, and have informed customers of the closest alternative branches.

’We remain committed to these communities and we will be introducing a new mobile branch banking service to support the customers affected by these closures, alongside other ways to access banking locally. Our mobile branches are designed to be flexible and provide services, such as making deposits, withdrawing cash and paying bills, as well as helping customers use online banking and make general account or product enquiries.

‘These mobile branches will be on the road from March and April next year.’