Leanne Wood has criticised Barclays for their failure to justify in public their decision to close the last bank branch in Treherbert.
The Plaid leader and South Wales Central AM she was disappointed by the refusal of the company to visit the town to explain their reasons for axing their branch on Bute Street which is due for closure on August 10th.
Ms Wood wrote to David Rose, the Barclays Network Area Director, earlier this month to register her opposition to the branch closure.
In the letter she wrote: ‘For many local people this branch provides a vital service and will be a great loss to the local community.
‘The loss will be particularly felt by the more vulnerable and elderly Barclays bank customers of Treherbert who will not find a trip to the nearest branch in Treorci straightforward and may not be in a position to use your online banking facilities.
‘In some cases, the increased cost of travelling back and fore to Treorci from Treherbert will also be an issue.
‘Please can you give me the reasons for the branch closure, the details on the consultation that led to the decision and whether you would be prepared to outline the case for the branch closure in a public forum to the residents of Treherbert.’
In reply Mr Rose wrote: ‘The decision to close our Treherbert branch was taken after very careful consideration. One of the considerations is the low useage of the branch, with transactions falling by 31% since 2007.
‘I do appreciate the concerns you raise about access to banking, and hope the following will go some way to assuring you of our continued support for local customers.
‘Customers will be able to use our branches at Treorci, Tonypandy and Ferndale, and our records show that 73% of Treherbert customers are already using the counter service or ATM at these branches.’
Mr Rose added that he ‘must decline’ the invitation to attend a public meeting in Treherbert.
Ms Wood said: “I regret Mr Rose’s decision not to engage with his customers in Treherbert in a public forum. This would allow local people the opportunity to challenge some of the figures that have been quoted by Mr Rose in his correspondence with me.
“For example, it may be the case that 73% of Treherbert customers have used the services of the Barclays branch in Treorci at one point but he does not say how often they have been used – how many of those 73% used the Treorci facilities as a one-off?”
She added: “The closure of the last bank branch in Treherbert will be very detrimental to the town.
“It will also close down a vital life-line to the more vulnerable and elderly customers who, in some cases, won’t be able to travel to Treorci to do their banking.
“I hope Barclays will rethink their decision as it is not too late to change their mind.”
