Councillors and MP call to save last bank in Doncaster village from closure

Officials have spoken against the recent decision to close Lloyds Bank on Great North Road in Woodlands.

After a review by Lloyds Banking Group, it was announced the bank will be closing in September.

It is the last remaining bank in the Woodlands area, meaning residents will now have to travel to other areas.

Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North, has spoken against the decision: “I am deeply concerned about the closure of Lloyds Bank in Woodlands. This bank branch is important for the community, providing an essential service for residents as well as supporting footfall for local businesses.

“Local businesses have told me that they’re concerned about the impact it will have on their business banking and I’ve spoken to some elderly residents who tell me that they will find it difficult to travel to the city centre to access a bank.

“I have written to the Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group to ask for this decision to be reconsidered and have offered to meet with him to discuss the impact that this closure will have on local people.”

Local councillors for the Adwick and Carcroft Ward, in which Woodlands lies, also joined calls to prevent the closure.

Councillors Sarah Smith, Debbie Hutchinson and John Mounsey gave a joint statement:

“Lloyds Bank on Great North Road is an important and core local asset. Many residents and local businesses rely on having a branch that they can walk into and get the help that they need. Many people will be excluded by this move, disproportionately affecting the digitally excluded and local vulnerable populations.

“Having the branch there has allowed many local groups to get the help they needed to set up community bank accounts. Many residents moved their bank accounts to Lloyds solely because they had a local branch close to home.

“The review that Lloyds Bank provided on the justification of closing this branch does not fully represent the positive use of this branch. There are stats on branch reduction use compared to previous years, but there are no actual total numbers of use & the review also includes 2 years of lockdown. Which isn’t a fair comparison of use. Furthermore, it compares other customer use of accessing different services, such as the Post Office, as evidence that the branch is not needed, which is problematic.”

He went on to say: “This is the only bank left in the area and with the cost of living customers can’t afford to catch public transport into the city. Also there are limits on withdrawal and deposit amounts at the Post Office.”

“In February this year, Lloyds Bank announced that its pre-tax profits for 2022 were £6.9 billion. We would encourage Lloyds to not just look at the cost of everything, but realize the true value that having a Lloyds Bank provides for the community it serves, which is worth so much more.”