Barclays customers in the area have today received a letter from the bank informing them that the branch at Crowborough Cross will be closing on Wednesday 2nd June.
The bank have said the number of counter transactions has gone down, as customers are doing more banking online and by telephone. In a booklet (Crowborough the Reasons for Closure), they explain that the financial year from April 2018 to March 2019, there were 9% fewer counter transactions for personal banking than the previous year. Business transactions fell by 13% over the same time period.
They have identified only 82 customers that use this branch exclusively for their banking.
After the closure the nearest Barclays branches would be in Tunbridge Wells and Heathfield.
Two other banks have, in recent years, closed branches in Crowborough: HSBC in 2017 and NatWest in 2018. The HSBC branch is now a solicitors and NatWest is being converted into a restaurant.
In May, two weeks before the closure, Barclays will share feedback and concerns from the local community, and give details how they are helping people transition from using the branch with alternative ways of banking.
For more information see UK Barclays branch closures.
This is bad news. I am a regular user and with the recent opening hours being limited it has not always been possible to get there by 2:00pm. In Crowborough it is convenient to have free parking then a short walk to the Bank. Going to Tunbridge Wells will involve special trips there then having to pay to park and a lengthy walk to the Branch. This will mean pain as I wait on hip surgery. Then there are those who will have extra expenses on their budgets to use public transport instead of walk and the extra costs.
A 9% fall in users is neither here nor there as Crowborough is expanding with the new developments and the new owners need local banking facilities.
Crass decision – they don’t care!
This is really bad news. Counter transactions have inevitably gone down in the pandemic as a large proportion of the customers have been shielding for the past year. Now that people are receiving their vaccinations, they will want to be able to use their bank once again. This is a real blow to local people. There are no other accessible branches of Barclays anywhere nearby. Uckfield closed some years ago and the Tunbridge Wells branch is for business banking only.
The stats Barclays are quoting are pre-pandemic.
Anyone known which restaurant will be replacing old Nat West or whether this is still the plan?
It is going to be a fish restaurant – they have been recruiting staff.
That’ll be that then for banking with Barclays for me, after banking with them since I was sixteen. . It’s always healthily busy when I go in and IF counter visits are down that’s because – duh – we’ve had / got a Covid stay – home policy in place (nice try, Barclays).
I’m in solidarity with the poor staff. Tata, after June, Barclays.
Very concerned at loosing Barclays. Often find there are transactions I cannot do online and require the services of counter staff. I feel COVID has been an excuse to cut services and enhance their financial gains. This is not once again a green move for the town!! A minimum 14 mile round trip just encourages more vehicle usage.. Conservatives go on about being carbon neutral, but have destroyed woodland, and farmland for housing. Over populating the area with no upgrading of the infrastructure and charging more for poorer services.
The Barclays letter states Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells as the only alternative branches. Heathfield isn’t accessible by public transport from Crowborough. Tunbridge Wells isn’t accessible to the disabled because the area outside is pedestrianised so even Blue Badge holders can’t drive up to the door and park outside (the wardens in TW are notoriously harsh on Blue Badge holders).This is a poorly considered decision.
I hope none of the staff from Crowborough Barclays have to suffer redundancies, they are always friendly and helpful and will be much missed.
Loved that Branch sad to see it go ,the one in RTW is sadly lacking,Rude staff told to use atms which do not work and very annoying.will close my account there and move next door to METRO bank allways nice friendly faces and no machines in side inside as well .
The original notice did not mention the staff at all. Don’t they count? We’ve been with them in Crowborough for nearly 50 years. You’d think they’d want to stay as the only competition now is Santander, isn’t it? As Michael Copeman said, Crowborough is growing, which you’d think would add customers. Not everyone banks online or by phone.
I am in agreement with the previous posts. Barclays closing is a blow, i moved from HSBC because they closed the branch in Crowborugh, the same with Halifax and Nat West for my other half. Banks have no interest in their customers that do not wish to do interenet or mobile banking, its a disgrace. If i had stayed with HSBC i could have at least gone to Uckfield. Looks like i will head to Santander and hope they can stay open!!
As Mr Copeman pointed out, Crowborough is ever expanding. It needs a bank, especially for the elderly who make up a greater-than-average proportion of the population. Also, making people travel to Tunbridge Wells is not very environmentally friendly. If the number of counter transactions (pre-pandemic!) doesn’t warrant the number of staff members, couldn’t the Crowborough branch become more self-service like the Tunbridge Wells branch, with just a few members of staff to help people? That would be better than no bank at all.
I am sorry you are closing as parking is easier than Heathfield. I can go to Heathfield but if you will close at 2.00 that is why the numbers are down. try opening for longer and then see if the numbers increase before deciding to close. Good luck.